


Tangled

by samanthastral



Series: HQ!! Disney Collection [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Abuse, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Disney, Blood, Disney AU, Fluff, Guard Iwaizumi, Guard Oikawa, HQ!! Disney Collection, It helps to be prepared because I tried to add that element in the story like from the original tale, M/M, Magic, Manipulative mother, Multi, Please be warned, Prince Keiji, Royalty, Tags:, There is some depiction of violence towards a certain scene in this but I wasn't too graphic, Thief Kuroo, This varies a lot from the Disney movie but there are many scenes that are the same, Traveler Bokuto, knife
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2016-03-14
Packaged: 2018-05-25 19:30:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 27,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6207616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samanthastral/pseuds/samanthastral
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroo Tetsurou is a thief on the run who goes by the alias of Kurosawa Tetsuya. He thinks he's had it made when he steals the crown that once belonged to the missing prince, but he's in for an adventure when he comes across a tower with a young man with peculiarly long hair living in it and whose best friend is a hyperactive person willing to do anything for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was a very, _very_ late Christmas present for my best friend. It's the first of my HQ!! Disney collection that I plan on writing. 
> 
> If you haven't seen _Tangled_ or _Tangled Ever After_ , please do so before reading! It helps to know the material that this is based off of before reading the fic. However, you may read anyway and watch the film and short later! Your choice.
> 
>  **Warning:** If you haven't read the original tale of _Rapunzel_ , then I should warn you that it differs greatly from the Disney movie. There's a more... violent? scene in the tale, but please know that I didn't go into much detail. I just want you to be prepared.

_This… is the story of how I died._

_But don’t worry! This is actually a very fun story, and you’re bound to enjoy it. Hopefully._

_This is the story of a young man named Keiji, and it all started with an owl._

_Once upon a time, a special owl sang a beautiful song to a lonely flower. The owl’s song blessed the flower, turning it golden and giving it the ability to heal the sick and injured._

_Well, centuries passed, and a hop, skip, and a boat ride away, there grew a kingdom. The kingdom was ruled by a beloved king and queen, and the queen… Well, she was about to have a baby. She got sick though._ Really _sick._

_She was running out of time, and that’s when people usually start to look for a miracle. Or in this case, a magic golden flower._

_But this flower was being held hostage. This woman—most call her Mother Geiru—had witnessed the owl singing to this flower. Instead of sharing the owl’s gifted flower’s powers, she hoarded its healing power and used it to keep herself young for hundreds of years, and all she had to do was sing a special song to it!_

_Honestly, what is her problem?_

_Anyway, she’d been keeping this flower all to her damn self for a long, long time. But she got her just deserts because she’d accidentally knocked over her bush cover, and a guard found the flower that they’d been looking for. She watched scornfully from her hiding place as they dug up the flower and took it back to the castle to make a special drink for the queen._

_The magic of the golden flower healed her. A healthy baby boy—a prince—was born with the blackest of hair and the most beautiful eyes to ever grace the kingdom._

_I’ll give you a hint. That’s Keiji._

_To celebrate his birth, the king and queen released owl lanterns out onto the lake and let them drift down the river. And for that one moment, everything was perfect._

_And then that moment ended._

_Mother Geiru snuck into the prince’s bedroom and quietly began to sing. Keiji’s hair began to glow as brightly as a star, and Mother Geiru attempted to cut a strand of his long hair to take with her._

_But when she cut the hair, it dulled in color and lost its magic. She stared in horror and glared to herself._

_Forming an idea, Mother Geiru stole the child and just like that… Keiji was gone._

_The kingdom searched and searched, but they could never find the prince for deep within the forest, in a hidden tower, Mother Geiru raised the child as her own. She had found her new magic flower, but this time she was determined to keep it hidden._

* * *

“Why can’t I go outside?” a young boy asked his mother. She brushed his unusually long hair, watching it glow to make her skin young again. 

With a gentle smile, she said, “The outside world is a dangerous place filled with horrible, selfish people who will want to steal your hair, dear. It’s so beautiful and valuable. They’ll do _anything_ to make you trust them, so you must stay here where you’re safe. Do you understand, my flower?” 

The young boy nodded. “Yes, Mommy…” 


	2. Chapter One

The sight of the castle was enough to mesmerize Tetsurou as he stood atop the roof with his hands on his hips and a smile spread across his lips. 

He whistled. “Man, I could get used to a view like this.” 

Yuuji and Kentarou looked over at him from the place that they’d made in the roof for them to slip through. 

Annoyed, Yuuji called over to Tetsurou. 

“Kurosawa, come here!” he whispered. 

“Just a second.” Tetsurou took in the view for just a few seconds longer before declaring, “Yep. I’m used to it. Guys, I want a castle.” 

Yuuji smirked and started walking over to him as he said, “If we do this job”—he grabbed Tetsurou’s collar—“you can _buy_ yourself a castle.” 

Tetsurou allowed himself to be dragged away by Yuuji. It wasn’t that Tetsurou was afraid of Yuuji and Kentarou. He was taller than both of them, and he was about the same size in other ways, but there was just something about them that made him unnervingly on guard. 

Kentarou helped him tie the rope around his waist. 

“Just grab the crown and stay quiet,” Yuuji told him. 

Tetsurou nodded and slid his body in through the opening. Yuuji and Kentarou lowered him down, and he tried to stay quiet as he was lowered closer and closer to the crown. He reached down and carefully picked it up and held it within his hands and slipped it into his satchel. 

One of the guards arched his head backwards and sneezed. 

“Gesundheit.” 

The guard smiled back at him with a sniffle. “Thanks.” 

Tetsurou returned the smile as the guard turned back around. 

Widening his eyes, the guard quickly did a second take and looked up to see Tetsurou and the others vanishing from the opening on the roof of the castle. 

* * *

Tetsurou ran throughout of the kingdom as he went on about how exciting their day was turning out to be and how much he wanted a castle. 

Kentarou was becoming annoyed with him, but he kept quiet and followed after Tetsurou when Yuuji gave him a look. Being that Kentarou trusted Yuuji, he did as he was told, even if nothing was said between them. 

The three of them bolted into the forest as they ran out of the kingdom from across the bridge. They kept running through the foliage until Tetsurou needed a rest. He stopped and rested his hand against a tree trunk and panted before letting his eyes drift up to see the wanted posters that were plastered to the tree. 

He snatched off one of them and stared at it with a grimace. 

“This is… This is awful…” He turned the poster around to reveal a hand-drawn picture of himself. “They can never get my hair right!” 

Yuuji lifted his brow as Kentarou said, “Who cares?” 

Tetsurou groaned. “You guys just don’t get it. _You_ look incredible in your posters,” he told them as he bent down to admire the likeliness of the drawings of them. 

“Quit acting like an idiot and let’s g—” 

They all looked up at the cliff as the royal army came into view. They all turned around and dashed off through the trees as the army spotted them and began to follow them through the forest. 

Tetsurou gritted his teeth together as he felt the wind smack against his face as he ran behind Yuuji and Kentarou. He almost tripped and ran into Kentarou’s back as they halted abruptly. 

“Why did we stop?” His question was immediately answered when he walked in-between the two of them and noticed the wall that was blocking their path. Determined, Tetsurou turned around to face them. “Alright, we’ll just create a human ladder. That’s easy. Since you two are sturdier, why don’t you two go first? I’ll climb up and pull you two up from the top.” 

Yuuji scoffed. “Give us the satchel and crown first.” 

Tetsurou clutched the strap to the bag and eyed them. “Are you serious? We’ve been through so much together, and you guys _still_ don’t trust me?” 

Yuuji almost found it hard not to laugh at him as Kentarou just stared him down. 

Frowning, Tetsurou began to take the satchel off. “That hurts, guys. I’m honestly wounded.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Yuuji said as he smirked, taking the satchel and strapping it to his side. He grabbed Kentarou by the collar and pulled him over to the wall. “You get on the bottom.” He climbed up Kentarou’s back and waited for Tetsurou to climb up them. 

_I need to get the satchel away from them…_ Tetsurou thought. He began to climb and slipped the satchel off of Yuuji’s side as Yuuji looked up at the top of the wall while Kentarou faced the ground to make sure that his knees weren’t going to buckle beneath their weight. 

Tetsurou made it to the top and looked down at the two of them. He wasn’t sure if he was going to regret making _these two_ mad, but when he heard Yuuji tell him to help them up, he did something bold. He showed them the satchel while saying, “Sorry. I’ve got my hands full.” 

He began to run again as he heard Yuuji scream his name in the distance. 

Adrenaline kicked in as Tetsurou marathoned through the woods. He could hear the sound of horses and the army behind him. He dared to look back and saw the narrowed eyes of one of the lesser guards as they galloped on their horse behind their leader. 

Tetsurou’s eyes widened when he saw arrows aimed towards him, and he ducked underneath an opening beneath a log and slid down a hill as more arrows whizzed above his head. 

He sighed from relief, but his eyes widened again when he noticed one of the guards’ horses stop right at the top of the hill. It sent the guard flying off, and he began to slide down the hill just as Tetsurou had. 

He spotted Tetsurou, and Tetsurou wiggled his fingers toward him before dashing off again. 

“Oh, no, you don’t!” The guard stood up, and Tetsurou knew exactly which one this was. It was the guard that he’d gotten demoted with one of his many wrongdoings. He’d humiliated this particular guard numerous times, and he always seemed to let Tetsurou slip through his fingers. 

Tetsurou wasn’t about to let that reputation be foiled. 

“Sorry, Iwaizumi!” he called behind him. “But I don’t plan on being arrested today!” 

Hajime growled behind him and ran after Tetsurou with so much speed that Tetsurou felt like his legs were going to turn into jelly from how much faster he had to go than Hajime to outrun him. 

“God, give it a break! My legs are killin’ me!” 

“You’re dead, Kurosawa!” Hajime called to him. 

Tetsurou’s face went into panic when he tripped. The satchel flew from his grasp, and the strap got caught on a tree’s branch—a tree’s branch that was extended out over a cliff like it was special and didn’t _need_ to be hovering above the ground only a few feet below. No, it thought that it needed a _greater_ distance to be hovering above. 

_How annoying…_ Tetsurou thought miserably with a defeated expression laid across his face. __

He stood up and looked to his side to find that Hajime had caught up to him and was staring over at the satchel in disbelief. 

They looked at each other and, at the same time, made a mad spring towards the tree. Tetsurou tripped Hajime, and Hajime pushed him back to get to the tree. 

“Move. It!” Hajime said, pulling Tetsurou by his feet as Tetsurou had his arms stretched out towards the tree. 

Hajime flung himself onto the tree trunk and began to stand up carefully. His eyes expanded when he felt Tetsurou leapfrog over his back. Hajime stood up and looked down to see that Tetsurou’s body had turned onto the opposite side of the tree trunk. 

Hajime unsheathed his sword and began slicing down towards Tetsurou’s fingers. Tetsurou moved his body along the trunk as Hajime kept slicing until he got to the satchel. 

He grabbed a hold of the branch and hung onto it and snatched up the satchel’s strap just as it was about to fall. 

He looked up at Hajime and smirked. 

Hajime sneered but stopped and widened his eyes when he heard the tree trunk beginning to snap. 

“Uh-oh…” Hajime said. 

“Don’t tell me…” Tetsurou responded. “We’re about to fall?” 

“Yep.” 

“To our deaths?” 

“Most likely.” 

Tetsurou sighed but nodded and gave Hajime a look full of determination. “Bring it on.” 

The tree snapped and the two of them began to plummet from the cliff. They both held onto the tree trunk for dear life and screamed as they descended through the air. The tree trunk hit a rock and split in half to where the two of them were separated. 

Hajime hit the top of the hill and rolled down it with minimal scratches, while Tetsurou hit a tree like he was George of the Jungle and slid down it with leaves nestling into his hair on his way down. 

He hid behind various objects as he spotted Hajime beginning to look for him from in front of the many things that he hid behind. He ducked behind a boulder as he waited for Hajime to leave from the area before he took a moment to breathe. 

He started to lean against a wall but slid through some vines and was led to a small cave. He hid inside there as he noticed Hajime’s shadow outside of the vines and waited for him to disappear again before turning around to see how deep the cave was and to see if there was another exit. 

To his surprise, the exit led to a small inlet with a waterfall, a minute river that led underneath the rocks to travel throughout the forest, lots of soft green grass, and a tall tower near the tumbling falls. 

Tetsurou blinked and hurried towards the tower when he heard Hajime call out to some guy named Oikawa behind the canopy of vines that concealed his location. 

As he got to the tower, he pressed his back up against the building and let out a breath of air. He clutched the bag in his hand and looked around the corner before quietly going around to find an opening. He furrowed his brows when he realized that there was no entrance to the tower. 

_What the hell?_

He sighed and sat on the ground, leaning his back up against the stones in defeat. 

“Who are you?” 

Tetsurou jumped and stood up quickly, getting ready to defend himself against anything. He stared at the person who’d spoken and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. His hair was spiked up like an owl’s head feathers, and he seemed rather rugged in his street clothes made of uncomfortable fabric. 

“Who are _you_?” 

The person gave him a big toothy grin and poked his thumb to his chest with undeniable pride that left Tetsurou even more suspicious. 

“I’m Bokuto Koutarou!” he declared. 

“Shh! Shh…” Tetsurou came up to him quickly and covered his mouth. He grazed his eyes carefully towards the cave from where he’d come from and frowned back at Koutarou. “There are guards chasing after me.” 

“Wff?” 

Tetsurou removed his hand. “What?” 

“Why?” Koutarou repeated. 

Tetsurou pulled the strap to the bag around so that it would come across his chest and so that the pouch would hang at his side. “Because—” He stopped talking and narrowed his eyes again, holding the satchel closely to his body. “Nevermind ‘why’. Who are you, and why are you in the middle of nowhere? This tower is secluded behind those vines.” He pointed towards the entrance. 

“Well, I’ve been here lots of times,” Koutarou told him. “It’s not impossible to find this place. I found it, and _you_ found it.” 

Tetsurou put his finger up to argue, but then frowned and sighed. 

“What is this place anyway?” He looked around and took in the scenery. The lonesome tower stood far away from the vine entrance and was surrounded by cliffs. He noticed that vines and foliage were running up the tower, trying to engulf it in greenery. 

Koutarou grabbed Tetsurou’s wrist and looked up to a window at the top of the tower. 

“Hey, what’re you—” 

“I’ll just let my friend explain. This is _his_ tower anyway,” Koutarou said as he gripped Tetsurou’s wrist harder. “Keiji! It’s me!” 

Tetsurou squinted his eyes up towards the window, and his eyes widened when he saw a beautiful young man meet the outside world as he walked out onto the small balcony. His hair ran down his backside and seemed to trail onto the floor. Tetsurou gulped at the sheer elegance that he saw in his face and blinked suddenly. 

“Koutarou… who is… this…?” Keiji asked him, running his hand over his hair protectively. 

“This is…!” He looked at Tetsurou. “What’s your name?” 

“Ku—” Tetsurou cleared his throat. “Kurosawa… Tetsuya,” he told them. 

“This is Kurosawa!” Koutarou called up to his friend. “He seemed lost. He said that some guards are after him.” 

Keiji’s eyes widened, and he leaned over the balcony further. “What if they come for me, too, Koutarou?” 

Koutarou stuck out his chest. “I wouldn’t let them, Keiji! You have my word!” 

Tetsurou lifted his brow as he looked at Koutarou’s expression and then up at Keiji’s. He watched as Keiji’s face softened, and he gave Koutarou a soft smile that Tetsurou had seen many times back in the village. It was the smile of somebody in love. 

It made Tetsurou frightened. 

He yanked his wrist away from Koutarou and looked up at Keiji, extending his hand towards him. “Please let me stay here with you for awhile. I just need to wait this out until I’m sure that the guards are no longer in the forest. I’ll be out of your…”—his voice trailed off when Keiji picked up his long hair and flung it over the balcony. It reached the bottom of the tower and piled up in front of them—“hair… in… no time…” he finished, staring down at the hair. 

“He’s letting you up!” Koutarou nudged Tetsurou and grabbed onto Keiji’s hair. “Just climb up it like a rope. It won’t hurt him. He said it doesn’t.” 

Koutarou began to ascend up the hair rope with Tetsurou standing below with a splitting headache starting to form. He shook his head and sighed before following Koutarou all the way up to the balcony. Koutarou climbed over the banister to stand beside Keiji, and he helped Tetsurou up onto the balcony. 

And let’s just say, Tetsurou wasn’t the most graceful trying to get up over the balustrade. 

Keiji chuckled softly at Tetsurou as he helped him to stand. He went back over to pull his hair up to the balcony as he said, “Koutarou seems to trust you, so I’ll let you stay until it’s safe. But if you don’t mind me asking, why are the guards after you?” He turned to look back at Tetsurou, eyeing him with an intense teal blue gaze. 

Tetsurou stared at him for a moment. He suddenly began to dust his clothes off and smiled back at Keiji. “It’s nothing serious. The guards are just… They’ve had it out for me ever since I accidentally stole an… apple”— _Yeah, an apple_ —“from the marketplace. They’re always picking on me. They think I stole something valuable, but I found what I have in this here satchel.” He patted the pouch at his side with confidence. “They’re trying to lock me away for being a thief, but I’m not a thief!” 

“If you didn’t steal it, wouldn’t that mean that you’re innocent?” Koutarou asked. 

Tetsurou looked at him and shook his head. He turned away quickly to walk inside of the tower as he muttered underneath his breath, “It doesn’t work like that…” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More chapters will be added on the 11th, the day after my birthday! I'll be busy then, so thank you for being patient!


	3. Chapter Two

Koutarou stood up onto the table and threw his sword made of cardboard up into the air. His chest was puffed out as he had a lot of air sucked into his lungs, and he declared, “I will defend you, my king!” 

Keiji smiled up at Koutarou’s acting and started clapping quietly. “Such a brave knight.” 

Koutarou suddenly became embarrassed and deflated as he rubbed the back of his neck and laughed nervously. “I’m not that brave…” he said humbly. 

Tetsurou smirked at him from his spot beside Keiji on the floor. 

“You seem pretty brave coming back to this place a lot. It is… a bit creepy, you know.” He looked around and found that the tower was dark and cold. It left Tetsurou remembering his childhood. It wasn’t necessarily something that he liked to remember. 

Keiji looked at him. “This is my home.” 

Tetsurou put his hands up defensively. “My apologies. I didn’t mean it in that way. It’s just very dark in here.” 

“Kurosawa, are you afraid of the dark?” Koutarou questioned him, kneeling down beside him with round eyes. 

Tetsurou pushed his face away, saying, “I’m not _afraid_ of the dark. I just don’t particularly _like_ it.” 

“It’s okay to be afraid!” Koutarou said, ignoring his second statement, which made Tetsurou frown at him. “Keiji reads a lot of books, and I asked him why the heroes in them were never afraid. Tell him what you said, Keiji.” He nudged Keiji’s arm. 

Tetsurou turned to look at the smaller young man, watching him blink in surprise at suddenly being put on the spot in front of a complete stranger. 

“Well… I told him that they _are_ afraid. You can still be a hero and be completely terrified. Being able to face those fears and not let them consume you while doing good in the world is what makes you a hero. There’s not a single person or creature that’s not afraid of something.” 

Tetsurou lowered his eyelids as he smiled back at Keiji with a lopsided grin. “What’re you afraid of, Keiji?” 

“Me? I’m afraid of never being able to leave this tower…” He looked over at the sunlight that was just beginning to disappear outside the window. As he watched the last trickles of sunrays vanish, the sky became darkened and began to glitter with balls of hope in the sky. Keiji stood up and walked out onto the balcony. 

Tetsurou looked around the dark tower and stood up, pushing Koutarou away from him. “Light a candle, will ya?” He hurried over to Keiji, needing the light of the moon to calm his nerves from the darkness inside of the tower. 

Keiji stared up at the stars and sighed longingly as he leaned his elbows against the top of the balustrade. 

Tetsurou watched his face carefully. His eyes sparkled with the reflection of the stars in them, and the moon’s light rained down on him to make his eyes shine like the ocean on a bright day in summer. Keiji’s cheeks flushed pink as the breeze hit his skin gently. 

Leaning over beside him, Tetsurou asked, “Why don’t you just leave, then?” 

Keiji didn’t turn to look at him and kept his gaze on the blanket of glittering specks above their heads. 

“I can’t,” he said. 

“Why can’t you?” 

They both stood up straight when they heard the vines rustle on the other end of the valley. Keiji pushed Tetsurou inside. “She’s coming back, Koutarou! You must hide!” 

“What? Who’s coming back?” Tetsurou asked. 

“I’ll explain later,” Keiji told him, pushing him towards the closet. Koutarou grabbed Tetsurou and pulled him inside as Keiji locked them into the small space. 

Tetsurou, squeezed up next to Koutarou, frowned at him. “What is happening?” he whispered. 

“It’s Mother Geiru, Keiji’s mother,” Koutarou told him. He was pressed into Tetsurou, his back squished up against the side of the closet. “Keiji’s mother isn’t supposed to know that I come here, so I always have to hide if I’m still here when she returns.” 

“This is nonsense!” Tetsurou said in a harsh hushed tone. 

“Shh!” Koutarou covered his mouth, much to Tetsurou’s annoyance. 

Outside the closet, they listened to Keiji greet his mother by the balcony. 

“Mother, welcome back.” He helped her inside of the tower and helped her to take off her cloak. “How was your trip?” 

“Tiring. I swear, Keiji,” she said as she plopped down into a chair and set the basket down, “if it weren’t so important to you, I wouldn’t even travel so far to retrieve your paints.” 

“I only ask near my birthday…” Keiji responded with. 

“Yes, yes, I know. Like, I said, if it weren’t so important to you, I wouldn’t go.” 

“Um, Mother, I wanted to talk to you about something important,” Keiji said. He began to fiddle with his fingers in front of his waist as his nerves were starting to run high. 

His mother looked over at him as she rubbed her temples and frowned. “Keiji, what have I told you about playing with your fingers? It’s very distracting, so quit it.” 

Keiji brought his hands back to his sides and dipped his head in apology. “Sorry, Mother.” 

“Now, what is that you want?” 

Keiji glanced back at the closet, and then over at the window. “I was… wondering if I could leave the tower.” 

Mother Geiru’s full attention was now upon him, and he stepped back slightly when she stood up from her seat with a mean gleam in her eyes. “ _Leave_ the tower? Why on _Earth_ would you want to _leave_ this comfortable and charming little place of ours? Have I not provided you with the _best_ of housing, Keiji? Have a _neglected_ you as a mother? I leave you alone all of the time. I give you space. I bring you back paints and canvases and books and food and all of these things that not all children are fortunate enough to _have_.” She narrowed her eyes. “How… _ungrateful_ can you be, Keiji?” 

Tetsurou could feel Koutarou tense up against him. He put his hand onto Koutarou’s shoulder and continued to listen through the wooden doors. 

Keiji pressed his lips together and peered down at the ground. “I-I’m sorry, Mother. I just… I’ve been wanting to spend time with other people. In my books, they always have friends, and I just thought that…” 

“That you could make some friends?” His mother laughed. Her expression changed into a hardened one. “Keiji, friends… are _worthless_. Even if you make friends, they’ll always leave you. Only one person will love you and cherish you in this world.” She trailed her hand down Keiji’s hair and caressed his long locks of raven black hair through her fingers. “You know who that one person is, don’t you?” She looked back at him sharply. 

Keiji could feel himself slowly swallow as he looked back at his mother. 

“You, Mother…” he responded. 

Koutarou tensed even more, prompting Tetsurou to put his other hand on his other shoulder. 

“That’s right. _I_ am the only person who will ever love you.” She smiled as she let his hair fall back down to his sides. She picked up a brush and sat back down in the chair, gesturing for Keiji to sit down in front of her. He did as he was told and let her brush his hair as she told him to sing her favorite song. 

He sang softly as if humming, embarrassed to let Koutarou and Tetsurou hear him from inside of the closet. His hair began to glow golden, and his mother could feel its intense power surge through his body like she was absorbing the miracle through her skin. 

Tetsurou wasn’t sure what was going on. Being trapped within this confined space with Koutarou squished up beside him and no way of telling what was going on behind these closet doors was enough to irritate him slightly. He didn’t particularly appreciate the way that this woman was speaking to Keiji either. He didn’t like it at all. 

As Keiji finished singing, he said, “Mother… I would like my favorite meal for my birthday instead.” 

“Your favorite meal? That’s a three day’s journ—” She looked back at his eyes as he turned around to face her. They’d lost their luster and hope, something she smiled at. She put her hand up to his cheek and gave him a gentle grin. “Alright. I’ll go to the village and get your favorite meal.” 

“Thank you, Mother.” 

“I’ll get going now,” she said. She grabbed her cloak after standing from her chair and slipped it back on. “You can paint with your new paints if you’d like. Your birthday is tomorrow, after all. Might as well,” she said, waving her hands like she didn’t care what he did. She stopped at the balcony and turned so quickly that it made Keiji jump. “But you _do_ understand why you can’t leave this tower, right? No one will love you. They’ll only want to be your friend for your beautiful hair. It’s valuable, and you’re _far_ too special. You can’t trust others. The only one you can trust is—” 

“You, Mother.” 

She smiled back at him. “Smart boy.” 

Keiji let his hair down, and she climbed down it, leaving him wondering if he was seeing things because she suddenly looked younger than before. 

As soon as she disappeared past the vines, he ran over to the closet and opened it up. Tetsurou and Koutarou spilled out on top of each other with a loud thud against the stone floor. 

They both sat up, groaning in pain and rubbing parts of their bodies. 

“Your mother is a real piece of work,” Tetsurou commented as he rubbed his back. “Why do you let her talk to you like that?” 

“She’s my mother.” 

“That’s no excuse.” 

“I’m afraid to argue with her,” Keiji admitted. He helped Koutarou up and offered his hand to Tetsurou. Tetsurou stared for a moment before taking it, allowing Keiji to help him up. 

“You shouldn’t be afraid of your parents,” he said. “ _No one_ should be.” 

“It’s not that simple, Tetsuya,” he told him. 

“Keiji, why didn’t you tell me that your birthday was tomorrow?” Koutarou interrupted. “I would’ve gotten you something!” 

Tetsurou looked between them and smiled. “Maybe you can, Bokuto. We’re going to take Keiji out of the tower.” 

Keiji’s eyes widened back at him. “What? I-I can’t leave. My mother will be furious…” He started to fiddle with his fingers again, looking at the ground and biting his bottom lip. 

Tetsurou scoffed. “Don’t worry. She’ll be gone for three days. That’s enough time to let you spend time around people at the village and come back before she returns.” 

“I don’t know…” 

“What about the guards, Kurosawa?” Koutarou asked. 

_Damn. The guards…_

Tetsurou clutched the satchel to his chest. “Oh. Right…” 

Keiji put his hand on top of Tetsurou’s. “We can hide it here.” 

“Hide it?” 

“I… want to leave. I want to experience the world,” he told him. “We’ll come back. If you get caught, you don’t have the satchel on you, so they can’t accuse you of anything, especially since you’re innocent.” 

Tetsurou smiled sheepishly. “Right… So, you really want to go? Because we can just hang out here.” 

“Wasn’t it _your_ idea to leave? Are you chickening out, Kurosawa?!” 

“Shut up, Bokuto,” Tetsurou said, glaring at him. “I’m not chickening out of everything. I’m just making sure that _Keiji_ is comfortable with this plan. That’s what’s important, right?” 

Koutarou’s hair seemed to deflate. “I’m so stupid…” 

“I agree.” 

“Kurosawa!” 

“Kidding, kidding. Mostly,” Tetsurou assured him as he patted his cheek. He turned back towards Keiji. “So?” 

Keiji looked back at the balcony. Tetsurou saw the forlorn look in his eyes as he watched the stars for a moment in silence. He turned back to them and nodded. “I want to go.” 

Tetsurou reluctantly took the satchel off and handed it to Keiji. “Hide this first.” 

Keiji went over and hid it beneath the stairs and turned back towards them. “Let’s go.” 

* * *

Keiji wrapped himself within his hair and hid his face from view. He was talking to himself and saying that he was a terrible son and that he should’ve never left the tower because his mother would be furious with him. 

It was one of the downsides to travelling with a young man that had never even stepped foot out onto grass. 

It had brightened Koutarou’s mood to watch him become so entranced and excited over feeling the grass between his toes. He’d become mesmerized by the reflection of the nighttime sky in the river that led outside the secluded valley. 

But Keiji’s mood kept fluctuating. One moment he was fine and dandy and the next he was beating himself up and feeling guilty over leaving the tower. 

It wasn’t until about the fifth time of spiraling down that Tetsurou sat down beside him and gestured Koutarou to come over to help him cheer up his friend. 

“Look, Keiji, I’ve noticed that you’ve been kind of going through a roller coaster of emotions right now.” 

“What’s… a roller coaster?” Keiji asked him. 

Koutarou gave Tetsurou a curious look as well. 

“That’s beside the point,” Tetsurou said. “Bokuto and I are kind of worried. Maybe we should just go back to the tower since it’s causing you such distress.” 

“No… I’m fine.” Keiji pushed his head out through his hair and wiped the tears from his eyes. 

“Are you sure?” Koutarou asked him. 

Keiji nodded. “I want to go to the village.” 

“Did you get everything out of your system?” Tetsurou asked him. 

Keiji nodded again. 

Tetsurou clapped his hands and stood up. “Then, let’s rest up before we continue on. It’s still pretty dark, and I don’t know about you guys, but I need my beauty sleep.” 

“That’s a lot of sleeping you’ll be doing then,” Koutarou remarked. 

Tetsurou glared at him. 

Keiji chuckled and unwrapped himself from his hair. “Let’s sleep, then.” 

“We should take turns keeping watch,” Koutarou suggested. “I’ll take the first watch.” 

“Fine by me,” Tetsurou said. He leaned back against the rock and closed his eyes. 

* * *

Tetsurou sat on top of the rock as he watched the sky lighten up with warmth. The blackness faded into dark blue and then into a lighter blue, which bled into a simple pink speckled with orange as the sun grew higher into the sky. 

He slowly turned to look at Koutarou as he climbed up onto the rock with ease. 

“Thanks for coming with us,” Koutarou said to him. “Keiji’s always wanted to come out, but he’s always been too afraid to defy his mother. I never wanted to put him into harm’s way or make him uncomfortable, so I never suggested coming out.” 

Tetsurou looked down at Keiji as he slept soundly at the base of the rock. He leaned back over towards Koutarou and whispered, “You love him, don’t you?” 

Koutarou’s eyes widened, and he started rubbing the back of his neck and then his arms, saying “Puh! Pfft…” every few seconds without actually responding coherently. 

“I won’t tell him unless you want me to,” Tetsurou promised him as he patted his knee, which made Koutarou give him a thankful look. 

Smiling, Tetsurou looked down at Keiji. “I can kind of see why you would fall for him. He seems like a great guy, and after hearing his mother, I just wanted to help him. He doesn’t exactly seem very happy, and I—” He stopped talking and shook his head. “We should get going though. The sun’s up, so we can see through the forest now.” He slid off the rock and bent down to Keiji’s level. “Hey, Keiji, time to get goin’. We have a long way to go.” 

Keiji rubbed his eyes and opened them after blinking a few times. He peered up at Tetsurou and smiled warmly at him. 

“Good morning,” he greeted him. 

Tetsurou smiled back at him. “Morning. Bo and I are ready to go. You ready?” 

Keiji nodded and stood up and dusted himself off. Tetsurou noticed his long hair trailing behind him and piled up at his feet. There was something odd about how clean it was, and it was also strange how long it was. 

“Say, what’s with the hair?” he questioned, folding his arms. “Why have you never cut it, and how does it stay so clean?” 

Keiji began to stroke his raven locks in his hands and felt himself becoming guarded suddenly, backing away from Tetsurou. “My mother told me that I was special. She said that people will want to chop my hair off and take it because it’s valuable.” 

Tetsurou lifted his brow. “Can’t you get a haircut or something?” 

“Oh, no. My mother said that if my hair is ever cut, it’ll dull and lose its value.” He pushed part of his hair back and showed Tetsurou a small tuft of hair that had been cut. Against the chic blackness of Keiji’s hair, the black strand only seemed like a more off-black color. It wasn’t as smooth and silky-like, but Tetsurou didn’t think the color was awful or anything. 

“Well, if you cut it, then that would mean that no one would want your hair. It wouldn’t be such a hassle, and she might even let you go out willingly.” 

“It’s more complicated than that…” Keiji pulled his fingers through his hair and looked down at the grass. 

Koutarou stood in front of Tetsurou. “His hair is valuable because it’s—” 

“Hey!” 

They all turned around to see a man standing on top of the hill. He had a piece of paper in his hand, and he stared at it and then peered over at Tetsurou with narrowed eyes. 

“Oh, no,” Tetsurou said. He grabbed Keiji’s hand. “Run! Come this way!” He led Keiji and Koutarou away from the hill as the man ran after them, shouting after them with anger. Tetsurou spotted a small pub as they came across a trail and ran into the building. He halted when numerous pairs of eyes locked themselves onto them. 

“Um… Kurosawa…” Koutarou tapped his shoulder. “Where are we?” 

“In trouble,” he said, gripping Keiji’s hand in his own. He turned them around and gasped when the man walked in through the door. 

He held up the flier to the entire pub. “It’s the guy from the fliers.” 

Tetsurou narrowed his eyes at the drawing. He frowned at his hair that was drawn on the poster. It was sticking up everywhere and didn’t even look anywhere near to his hairstyle. “Oh, now they’re just being mean… My hair looks _nothing_ like that.” 

“Should we really be concerned about that right now?” Keiji whispered to him as they all three backed away from the guy. 

“You have no idea how frustrating it is,” Tetsurou said. 

“Go get the guards,” another man said. “We’ll hold them here.” He grabbed Tetsurou, which made Tetsurou snatch his hand away from Keiji’s. Two others took hold of Keiji and Koutarou, and they both wiggled in their grasps. 

“Let them go!” Tetsurou shouted out. He blinked back at his words. 

_Why did I just say that?_

“No!” Keiji called out. “Let us _all_ go! We didn’t do anything!” 

The man laughed with a rough tone and lifted his hand up to Keiji’s neck. Keiji went cross-eyed as he stared at the hook where his hand should be. He gulped and edged away as the larger man held him by the arms. 

“Listen here, kid,” the hook-hand man said gruffly, “we don’t know what this guy”—he pointed towards Tetsurou—“has said to you two, but he’s in no way innocent. Like us, this guy isn’t a good guy. He’s a wanted criminal. He’s a thief.” 

“He stole an apple once,” Koutarou said with a frown. He wiggled in the other guy’s hands, trying to free himself. He narrowed his sharp eyes towards hook-hand guy. “It was an accident.” 

The entire pub burst into laughter, and the hook-hand guy laughed as he held his actual hand to his forehead. 

“That’s rich!” he said loudly. “Is that what he told you?” 

Keiji and Koutarou stopped wiggling and turned their eyes over towards Tetsurou. “What is he talking about?” 

Tetsurou smiled sheepishly. “Nothing… He’s a pathological liar.” 

Hook-hand guy pushed his hook near to Tetsurou’s neck as he sneered at him. “I believe that would be _you_ , Kurosawa.” 

“Just let us go!” Koutarou shouted. The guy holding him dropped him to the ground and pulled out a sword, shoving it to his neck. Koutarou pressed his back into the floorboards and widened his eyes fearfully. 

_No, no, no!_ Tetsurou thought. _They’re going to get killed because of_ me _!_

“Can I ask you a question?” 

Everybody looked towards Keiji. The hook-hand guy stood up straight and walked over to him. “And what might that question be, kid?” 

“Have you ever had a dream?” 

“I had a dream once!” somebody in the back called. 

The hook-hand guy turned around and told him to shut his trap. He turned back to look at Keiji. “What do you mean by that?” 

“Have you ever wanted to do something so badly that you would do anything to get it? I’ve always wanted to leave my tower and be around people. I’ve always wanted to make friends and be free, but I’ve also always been too afraid to defy my mother. But… I finally left my home to achieve that dream, and you’re ruining it for me.” 

The hook-hand guy blinked back at him. 

“He”—Keiji gestured his head towards Tetsurou—“is supposed to be taking me to the village. He’s my only hope right now. I don’t know what’s going on with him being a wanted criminal, but I don’t care right now. I just want to see what it’s like to be like the characters in my books. I wanted an adventure, and I wanted to see what it was like… to be out in the world just like you guys.” 

He looked back at hook-hand guy with those intense eyes of his. Tetsurou found himself staring over at them, too. It took him a moment to realize that he was staring. He shook his head and looked at hook-hand guy, biting his lip nervously. 

Hook-hand guy narrowed his eyes back at Keiji and let his shoulders relax. He sighed. 

“I have a dream,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to create a ball game. I’ve always wanted to coach and teach others about this game that I have ideas for.” He held up his hook. “But this hook for a hand has ruined those chances. It would pop the balls, and it’s not very compatible with balls anyway…” 

“No, uh…” 

“Nekomata Yasufumi.” 

“Nekomata- _sensei_ , you can do anything. That hook for a hand may be an obstacle, but it’s not impossible, and if you achieve your dream, then that’ll mean that you’re even more extraordinary.” 

Yasufumi looked at him and let himself smile. 

“I have a dream!” the guy who was pointing his sword at Koutarou declared. He sheathed his sword and put his hands to his hips. “I would like to be a florist!” 

“I want to do interior design!” 

“Naoi would like to be a mime!” 

Tetsurou, Keiji, and Koutarou listened to the pub erupt with sounds of dreams. Koutarou started laughing at how relaxed the pub seemed now and even said that he dreamed of finding love one day. Tetsurou found himself fondly looking over at Keiji as he turned red after Koutarou shouted out his dream. Keiji caught Tetsurou’s eyes, and he winked at him with a nod of his head. 

They let Tetsurou and Keiji go and helped Koutarou up off the floor. 

“What about your dream, Kurosawa?” Koutarou asked Tetsurou as he dusted himself off. 

“No, that’s alright.” 

Several swords and weapons pointed in Tetsurou’s direction, and he put his hands up with round eyes. “O-okay.” As the weapons lowered, he climbed up onto a table and said, “I have dreams, too. They’re not exactly touchy-feely, but…”—he put his hands on his hips and let his chest puff out—“I dream of living on my own island where it’s always warm and the sun is shining, surrounded by enormous piles of gold and money!” 

The pub went silent, and the only sound was somebody coughing once in the back of the building. 

“I got the guards!” 

“What?” Tetsurou’s eyes widened towards the door when the man burst through the entrance. He hopped down from the table and hid between some much larger men, but he couldn’t escape the gaze of the two men that he’d been in cahoots with the day before. They locked their eyes onto him, and he squeaked and buried himself deeper into the frock of thugs. 

He peered through their arms to see more guards walk into the pub. He tensed up when he recognized a certain guard that he’d outrun earlier in the forest. 

_Terushima, Kyoutani,_ and _Iwaizumi are here. I’m either dead, or I’ve already died, and I’m in Hell,_ Tetsurou thought miserably. 

Yasufumi grabbed him and his friends and pushed them towards the bar. He opened up the floor and placed his hand onto Keiji’s shoulder. “Go, fulfill your dream.” 

Tetsurou looked down into the tunnel and nodded. “I will.” 

Yasufumi looked at him with a sour expression. “Your dream kind of stinks. I was talkin’ to him.” He gestured his head towards Keiji. “Even owl kid over here has a better dream than _you_ do.” 

“That’s really cold…” 

“Come on!” Koutarou whispered. He grabbed Keiji’s wrist and led him down into the tunnel as Tetsurou followed behind them. 

“Take the lantern. It gets darker on the way,” Yasufumi told them. 

Tetsurou grabbed the lantern and started to walk away, but Yasufumi grabbed him by the arm and yanked him back. “And take this.” He handed him a frying pain. 

“Uhh… Why do I need a frying pan?” 

“You might need it for food or something. Trust me. You’ll be lucky to have it. Now, go!” He pushed Tetsurou away from the entrance, and it closed behind Tetsurou as he ran to catch up with his friends. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for being patient for this update! I will update every two days or so from now on. If you happen to come across any grammar mistakes, I do apologize. I edited it only once and will edit again soon. Thank you for understanding!


	4. Chapter Three

“RUN! RUN! GET OUT!” Tetsurou picked Keiji up into his arms. The lantern was left forgotten on the tunnel’s floor, and the frying pan was in Koutarou hands as he also tried to run after Tetsurou with the rest of Keiji’s hair in his arms. “COME ON, BO! PICK UP YOUR FEET!” 

“I’M TRYING!” 

“Who’s that?” Keiji asked as they stopped at the edge of a cliff. They all looked down at the bottom of the cliff to see Yuuji and Kentarou burst out through a boarded up door like the wood was made of toothpicks. 

“They don’t like me,” he told him as he clenched his teeth together. 

They all turned around to see the guards behind them. 

“Who’s _that_?” Koutarou asked. 

“They don’t like me either.” 

Hajime pushed his way through the others and glared in Tetsurou’s direction with pure spite glazing across his eyes as he sneered at him. 

“Who’s _that_?!”Keiji and Koutarou asked in unison. 

Tetsurou looked at them and began to talk hastily. “Let’s just assume for the moment that everybody in here _doesn’t_ like me.” 

Keiji pushed himself out of Tetsurou’s arms and grabbed his hair from Koutarou. He spun his hair like a rope and threw it out and let it latch onto a beam. He grabbed a hold of Koutarou as Koutarou handed the frying pan to Tetsurou and screamed when Keiji let them fall off the cliff and swing up onto another ledge. 

Tetsurou stared after them and put his hands out. “You left me?!” 

He turned around when he heard the sheathing of a sword and put the frying pan up in defense. The sword hit the frying pan, and he smirked. He battled against the guards, knocking them out with the cooking utensil. 

He stared at the frying pan and smirked, spinning the handle in his palm. “Oh, mama. I have _got_ to get me one of _these_!” He blinked when he spotted a sword being pointed towards him. He readied his frying pan. “Iwaizumi… long time no see!” he said, smiling back at him. 

“Kurosawa… I’m going to _really_ enjoy this,” Hajime said as he lifted up his sword and attempted to stab him with it. Tetsurou dodged it and hit the frying pan against Hajime’s sword. They battled for a moment until dread washed over Tetsurou’s soul when Hajime hit his frying pan and sent it flying over the edge of the cliff. 

They both watched the frying pan descend down, and Tetsurou looked back at Hajime. “How about two out of three?” 

Hajime pointed his sword at him with slit eyes, and Tetsurou put his hands up in defense. 

“Tetsuya!” Keiji called out. He latched his hair onto Tetsurou’s hand and pulled him forward. 

Tetsurou went flying over the edge with Hajime gaping after him in shock and annoyance. Tetsurou tried climbing up the hair some more as he swung through the air, not wanting to fall. 

“Kurosawa, look out!” Koutarou called to him when Tetsurou came upon the two men that’d crashed through the wood. 

They unsheathed their swords and swung them upwards, but he pulled his body up to protect himself from their weapons. 

“Aha! Nice try, guys! You should really see your faces right now because you look”—he hit the ledge that was sticking out from the water passage—“ridiculous…” he said with a pained strain in his voice. 

Hajime growled underneath his breath and began slashing his sword against a pillar. He continued to cut through the wood until the column fell down, creating a bridge between his ledge and the one that Keiji and Koutarou were standing on. 

Hajime ran across the pillar, and Keiji and Koutarou edged away from him. Tetsurou held the other end of Keiji’s long locks and called out to them to jump. Keiji looked over at him and back at Hajime as he rushed across the makeshift bridge with the other guards—now fully conscious—right behind him. 

Keiji let determination spread across his face. He grabbed a hold of Koutarou and flung them off of the ledge. They skid across a large puddle of water as Tetsurou let Keiji’s hair fall and catch up to them below. Koutarou and Keiji held his hair in their arms and ran as Tetsurou surfed down the water passage above them. 

The dam began to burst as the damage took effect. 

The water rushed after them. They didn’t even have time to look back as they all ran for their lives. They heard the shouts of the guards as they got swallowed up by the water, and Tetsurou was sure that his former partners in crime had been unfortunate enough to suffer the same. 

Koutarou rushed as fast as he could. “HURRY! I CAN’T SWIIIIIM!” 

They ran into a crevice in the wall. Tetsurou snatched up the frying pan that had drifted in front of the opening just as a large rock fell in front of it, trapping them inside. 

“Up there!” Keiji called to them as he began to climb the pile of rocks to escape the water. 

Koutarou and Tetsurou followed him. Keiji snatched the pan from Tetsurou and started hitting the slits in the rocks with the handle to try and jostle them out of place as Tetsurou dove into the water, hoping to be able to see beneath the water for an opening. He resurfaced and breathed in a few deep breaths before diving in again. 

“Kurosawa!” Koutarou called down to him as he pressed his back into the corner of the small inlet, fearful of the water as it rose incredibly fast. 

Tetsurou resurfaced and started pushing against the rocks as Keiji continued hitting them with the frying pan. Tetsurou held onto a rock and the wetness of it made his hand slide across it, splitting his palm open. He winced and held his wrist to stop the pressure from getting to his newly-formed wound. He clenched his hand and frowned as he dove in one last time, desperately wanting to find some way out of there. 

Once he came back up, he wiped the water from his eyes. “I can’t see a damn thing,” he told them. “There’s no way out of here.” 

“There has to be a way out!” Koutarou shouted at him. 

“We’re trapped, Bokuto!” Tetsurou snapped at him. 

Keiji looked at his two friends in the dim darkness. He closed his eyes tightly and let a few tears fall down his face. “This is all my fault…” He wiped at his eyes and sniffled. “I should’ve never left the tower… I should’ve just listened to my mother…” He didn’t meet either one of their gazes as he said, “I’m so sorry, Koutarou… Tetsuya…” 

Koutarou softened his eyes over at Keiji. 

Tetsurou looked at Koutarou and then back at Keiji. He blinked down at the black water and sighed. “Tetsurou.” 

Keiji blinked back more tears and looked up at him. “What?” 

“My real name is Kuroo Tetsurou. I… might as well tell you guys that.” 

Koutarou looked at him and smiled lightly. He patted Tetsurou’s shoulder. “I’m a traveler, and I’ve been staying in the forest so that I can continue to see Keiji every day,” he confessed. If Tetsurou was admitting things, Koutarou wanted him to know something, too. 

Keiji blushed and stroked his hair in embarrassment. “I… have magic hair that glows when I sing.” 

“Come again?” Tetsurou said. 

Keiji widened his eyes and looked at them like an idea had just struck through his mind. “I have… magic hair that glows when I sing.” 

Koutarou gasped. “That’s right! Keiji, sing!” 

“S-sing?” 

Tetsurou stared at them like they were losing it. “I’m sorry. Am I getting this right? You have what that does what now?” 

“Keiji, just sing! Here! We’ll cover our ears so that you won’t be embarrassed.” Koutarou covered up his ears and nudged Tetsurou. 

Hesitantly, Tetsurou covered his ears as Keiji began to sing. He picked up the pace when he realized that this was a dire situation, and the water was rising quickly. The water rose up to their necks, and Koutarou squeaked from fear and held onto Tetsurou’s back when the water engulfed their heads. 

Keiji’s hair started to glow the color of gold. It sparkled beneath the water, and Tetsurou’s eyes widened, and he shouted out in surprise underneath the water. They watched as Keiji’s hair turned from black to yellow and lit up the darkness that the water had created. Koutarou spotted a pile of rocks at the bottom and nudged Tetsurou towards them. Tetsurou swam down with Keiji, and they pulled the rocks away until they’d created an opening and were pushed out with the water. 

Keiji grabbed Koutarou when they were pushed into the river and swam them up to the bank. Tetsurou pulled himself up beside them, and they all coughed out water and took in several deep breaths. 

“His hair glows…” Tetsurou said through the breaths. He looked at Koutarou. “Why does his hair glow?!” 

“It doesn’t just glow,” Keiji told him breathlessly. 

Tetsurou looked at him and turned to see that Koutarou was smirking at him. 

“Why are you smirking at me?” 

* * *

Koutarou sat down beside the fire and smiled at Tetsurou and Keiji as they sat beside each other on the log. Keiji had his hair wrapped around Tetsurou’s wounded hand and slowly began to sing. Koutarou smiled even more at the soft sound of Keiji’s melody. His words trickled down into Koutarou’s ears and warmed his insides up with adoration. 

Tetsurou glanced over at him. 

_He’s completely in love with him,_ he commented. He turned to look at Keiji and felt a twinge in the pit of his stomach. _No, Bo’s in love with him. Get your own,_ he chastised himself. 

Keiji finished his song and carefully unwrapped his hair from Tetsurou’s hand. Tetsurou looked down at his hand and examined it as his eyes widened in surprise. 

“H-how?” he asked. He blinked suddenly and looked back at his friend. “Is this why it’s valuable? Because it’s magical?” 

Keiji nodded slowly as he fiddled with his fingers in his lap. He stared down at them and sighed heavily. “Mother said that people tried to cut it off when I was a baby. She wanted to protect me, so she moved me into the tower.” 

“You can’t… protect everything about yourself,” Tetsurou started to say. He looked over at the fire. “Keeping you locked away isn’t the way to prevent things.” 

“Mother always says that she knows best…” 

“I doubt that she does,” Tetsurou said. 

Koutarou stood up and walked over to sit in-between Tetsurou and Keiji. “So… Kuroo Tetsurou, huh?” He smiled at Tetsurou. 

Tetsurou smirked. “Yeah… I’m sorry that I lied to you guys and gave you a fake name. I just… I used to read this book as a kid. _The Tales of Kurosawa Tetsudou_. Oh, it was great. I loved that story.” He brushed his healed palm over his hair and smiled at the memory of the book. “Tetsudou was a great guy. He was kind, loyal, helpful, and a pretty likeable guy.” 

“Was he a thief, too?” Koutarou asked. 

Tetsurou’s smiled vanished. “I’m sorry about that, too…” 

“Tetsurou,” Keiji said, “we don’t mind that you’re a thief. The characters in my books always turned out the way that they did because of what happened in their lives. We don’t know your life, but you can always become better than being a thief and a wanted man, you know?” 

Tetsurou stared down at the ground and nodded slowly. “I know that…” He looked up to peer back at Koutarou. “And to answer your question; no. He wasn’t a thief.” He gave him a lopsided smile. “Tetsudou was wealthy, and for a kid with nothing… Well, I guess I just wanted to be like him. I wanted to travel and have things and do whatever Kurosawa Tetsudou could do.” His eyes glimmered in the dark, and Keiji smiled fondly over at him. Tetsurou’s eyes went downcast, and he sighed. “It just felt like I had to steal… to achieve that.” 

Koutarou rubbed Tetsurou’s back in support. 

“Don’t worry, Kuroo,” he said. “We’ll help you get that island of yours where you can be surrounded by all that money.” 

Tetsurou laughed. “Thanks.” He stood up and looked down at Koutarou. “Hey, help me get some more wood. We’ll need to keep the fire burning until later.” 

“We can’t stay long,” Koutarou said. He stood up from his spot and stood beside Tetsurou. 

“We’ll leave in the middle of the night,” Tetsurou promised him. “But we need to rest before we do. We’ll be back soon, Keiji. Just stay right here.” 

“Uh, Tetsurou?” 

Tetsurou looked back at Keiji. “Yeah?” 

“I just wanted to let you know that I… like Kuroo Tetsurou much better than Kurosawa Tetsuya.” 

“Me, too,” Koutarou added happily. 

Tetsurou smiled softly to himself. “Then, you guys would be the first… Come on, Bokuto.” 

Keiji watched them walk off into the forest to retrieve some more firewood. He stretched his arms upward and jumped out of his skin when he heard someone say, “Well!” 

He turned around and narrowed his eyes in surprise. “Moth…er?” 

Mother Geiru pulled him into a hug and stroked her hand down his hair. “H-how did you find me?” he asked her. 

“Oh, I just followed the sound of complete and utter betrayal, and it led me right to _you_.” She looked at his face and grinned at him. “Let’s get back to the tower, huh?” 

Keiji sighed and felt his nerves running high. He didn’t want to go back to the tower. He hadn’t even made it to the village to spend time with other people. He hadn’t experienced nearly enough to satisfy himself. He couldn’t go back to that tower. He wasn’t ready to. 

“Mother, listen… I… I wanted to go to the village. I want to experience life just like everybody else.” He smiled at her, and his mother frowned at the hopefulness in his teal blue stare. “I’ve been travelling with two of my friends, and I—” 

“ _Friends_? Honestly, Keiji, can you _really_ call them friends? Especially that wanted thief? Ha! He’s only using you. People like him shouldn’t be allowed to have friends. You’re too naïve.” She pulled the satchel that Tetsurou had had earlier from beneath her cloak and threw it to Keiji’s chest. 

Keiji held it close to his chest with care and desperation. “How did you—” 

“He _stole_ what’s inside of the bag!” his mother informed him. “He’s a liar and a thief, and he’ll get close to you to steal anything that he thinks is valuable.” 

“V-valuable?” Keiji touched his hair. 

His mother smirked. “I see you’re smarter than you look. He’s only deceiving you, son. As for that other one, he’s probably been planning this with him. They’re not your friends. They only want you hair. They don’t care about you. They don’t love you. Only I—” 

Keiji frowned at her. “No!” 

His mother blinked and suddenly smiled. “No? Oh, you poor child… Fine. Learn the hard way. Continue being ‘friends’ with these two hoodlums and see where it gets you.” 

“I will,” Keiji said confidently. 

His mother left him with the satchel as she disappeared into the forest. Keiji watched after her and softened his expression as he opened the satchel up and pulled out a crown. It was made of silver and jewels, and Keiji’s eyes widened. He stood beside the river and spotted himself holding the crown in his hand in the reflection of the water. 

The sun was going down, and the air was getting colder, which only made Keiji’s insides freeze over even more as the coldness inside of the pit of his stomach held his nerves in place. 

He looked down at his reflection and carefully placed the crown on top of his head. He opened his mouth slightly in awe but snatched the crown off and hid it back into the satchel as he heard Koutarou call out his name in alarm. 

“I’m over here!” Keiji assured him. He hid the satchel by the river for the night and ran to meet up with his friends. 


	5. Chapter Four

Hajime stood above Tetsurou as he slept. Water dripped down onto Tetsurou’s face, and he wiped it off as he opened up one of his eyes to see Hajime leering above him. 

“Hey, Iwaizumi. Have a nice swim?” 

“I’m going to—” 

“HEY!” 

Hajime’s entire body rattled as Koutarou screamed into his ear. He clenched his teeth together and snapped his attention towards him. 

“What the hell?” He put his finger into his ear to try and stop the ringing. 

“You’re that guard!” Koutarou widened his eyes and positioned himself in a martial arts stance. 

“He’s unarmed,” Tetsurou said. He stood up and smirked at Hajime as he leaned his elbow against his shoulder. “That’s really unfortunate for you,” he said to the sneering guard. 

Hajime swung his hand towards him, but Tetsurou dodged the punch. Hajime went to kick him, but Tetsurou jumped up with a laugh. 

“For a guard, you really suck at this.” 

Hajime tackled Tetsurou to the ground. 

“Gaaah! Get off! Bo, help!” 

Koutarou was pushed out of the way as Keiji ran past him and pulled Hajime off of Tetsurou. “Hey, what is going on?” 

“I’m here to arrest him!” Hajime told him. 

“Can’t that wait until later?” 

Hajime looked at Keiji liked he’d grown five more heads. He straightened his stained and drenched uniform, frowning back at him. “I can’t do that.” 

“Why are you so keen on arresting _him_?” Keiji questioned him. 

“I got him demoted,” Tetsurou said from the ground. 

“Demoted?” Koutarou looked at Hajime as Hajime shrank from embarrassment and anger. “How does a guard get demoted?” 

“He used to be in charge of the entire army. I got him demoted with one of my antics. Now that we’re up to speed, we really should get going, yeah?” He stood up and picked up the frying pan from the burned out fire pit. 

“Oh, no,” Hajime said. “I am going to arrest you and get my position in the royal army back!” 

“Maybe next time, friend.” Tetsurou patted his head and smirked. 

Hajime went to snatch at him, but Keiji held him back. “Please, sir. He’s taking me to the village. You can arrest him tomorrow.” 

“What?” Tetsurou turned around to look at them. 

“It’s always been my dream to go to the village and meet and be around people. He’s taking me there. Once I’m satisfied, you can arrest him and get your position back.” 

Hajime glared at Tetsurou as he pondered on the deal. “I can arrest him tomorrow?” 

“Of course.” 

“Hey,” Tetsurou interrupted. “I didn’t agree to _any_ of this.” 

Hajime seemed hesitant. “I don’t know if I can trust you…” 

“Please, sir?” 

Hajime lifted his brow at him. 

“It’s his birthday!” Koutarou told him. “Have a heart!” 

Hajime sighed. “Fine… But I’m coming with you guys to make sure that he doesn’t run off.” 

“Deal,” Keiji said. He shook hands with Hajime as Tetsurou stared in disbelief. 

“I just felt like I was traded.” 

Koutarou clapped his hand onto his back. “That sucks.” 

Tetsurou rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Bo.” 

“No problem!” He paused. “I think…” 

* * *

He snatched the flier off the wall and crumpled it up as Keiji and Koutarou walked in front of him. Hajime narrowed his eyes at him, and Tetsurou tossed the paper behind his back. 

“I’m watching you like a hawk, Kuroo,” Hajime told him. He put two of his fingers at his eyeballs and then slashed through towards Tetsurou’s. “Don’t think that you can run away from me again.” 

“How’s that demotion going, Iwaizumi?” Tetsurou teased. 

“Why you!” Hajime arched his fingers towards Tetsurou’s neck. 

Tetsurou readied himself to fight, but they both turned their heads to look at Koutarou, who’d cleared his throat. 

“Guys, don’t fight. This is for Keiji, and it’s his birthday. Stop fighting.” He frowned at them. 

They both sighed and followed them into the village. 

“Oh… It’s so big…” Keiji commented. His eyes were outstretched, and he peered up at the castle in the center of the village. 

“It’s more of a kingdom,” Hajime told him. 

“A kingdom…” Keiji’s voice was soft and trickled out breathlessly. 

Tetsurou smiled at his fascination with the kingdom, but his smile vanished as he watched Keiji trying to walk through the crowd. His hair kept getting stuck on things and people kept stepping onto his hair. 

“Wait,” Tetsurou said as he started to pick up Keiji’s hair. He looked around and spotted a little girl with short orange locks putting bows into her older brother’s hair. “There we go. Hey, kid!” 

They both looked over at him, and Tetsurou held up Keiji’s hair to her. She beamed with excitement and rushed over to Keiji with her brother in tow. 

* * *

“Thank you, Natsu,” Keiji thanked the little girl with a gentle grin placed upon his face. He bent down to her level and booped her nose. “My braid is beautiful.” 

“Thank you for letting me braid your hair, Keiji-chan!” Natsu smiled at him. 

“Your little sister is a great braider, Shrimpy,” Tetsurou said to her older brother. 

“Thank you for letting her do this, Shouyou,” Keiji said as he stood up and looked at her brother. 

Shouyou nodded. “You’re welcome! I hope you guys enjoy the Owl Festival today! Come on, Natsu.” He grabbed his little sister by the hand and led her away from them. 

“Owl Festival?” Keiji looked at them. 

“In honor of the prince’s birthday,” Hajime said. He pointed towards the mural on the wall of the king, queen, and prince. “Every year, the king and queen decorate the kingdom with paper owls. They place owls on everything. At the end of the night, they release paper lanterns that are shaped like owls onto the water.” 

“All this for the prince’s birthday?” Keiji looked at the mural as he stood in front of it. The king and queen were peering down lovingly at their son. His black hair was long and styled nicely as he wore a crown that seemed oddly familiar to Keiji. 

Hajime rubbed the nape of his neck. “They do it because… the prince was kidnapped as a baby. They hope that the big celebration will draw him to the kingdom, and they’ll be able to reunite with him. But nobody knows where the prince has gone.” 

“They more or so do it to ease the pain,” Tetsurou added. “It’s more of a distraction for not being able to celebrate _with_ him all these years. That’s one of the things that I’ve heard about the celebration over the years.” 

Keiji’s eyes lowered. “How terrible…” 

Koutarou put his arm around Keiji’s shoulders and leaned down to smile at him. Keiji caught his expression and looked back at him. “We came here to have fun. Let’s do something fun, huh?” 

“Yeah,” Tetsurou agreed. He walked over to a woman handing out free white cloths with stitched owls on the fronts and backs of them. He smiled at her gratefully as she handed him one, and he walked back over to hand Keiji the cloth. “Let’s enjoy the celebration. I’m sure the prince would appreciate it.” 

Keiji stared down at the owl and ran his fingers over the material before allowing himself to smile. “Alright.” 

Tetsurou smiled as Koutarou hugged Keiji. Hajime looked at them and found himself smiling as well. 

* * *

Keiji stood beside Koutarou as he watched a band tune their instruments. Keiji looked towards Tetsurou as he stood in line for snacks. Their day had been long, and Tetsurou needed a break. 

Of course, he could hardly get one with Hajime standing right beside him in line, making sure that he didn’t use the five finger discount to attain the snacks. 

Koutarou smiled as he watched Keiji’s eyes fall back onto the band with interest. They began to play a simple melody, and before they knew it, Keiji started to beam and dance around. 

Tetsurou turned around with the snacks to find Keiji holding hands with Koutarou and pulling him around in a circle and spinning him out as they danced in front of everyone. Keiji’s shyness was wearing off enough to allow him to frolic in front of the crowd. 

Tetsurou quickly ate his snack as he watched Keiji grab the town people’s hands to get them to join in on the dancing. 

Keiji stopped in front of Tetsurou and held out his hand. 

Shaking his hands at Keiji, Tetsurou shook his head. “No, that’s okay.” 

“Oh, come on, Tetsurou,” Keiji said. “It won’t be a dream come true if you don’t dance with us.” 

“I don’t really da— Aah!” 

Hajime pushed Tetsurou towards Keiji and smirked as he watched Keiji whisk Tetsurou towards the crowd. Hajime stood by and watched Tetsurou and his two friends join in with the crowd of people and dance around each other with delight. 

Despite Hajime disliking Tetsurou, he had to admit that the young thief was charming. It saddened him as he continued to watch, knowing that it was inevitable what was to come. He had a duty to his king and queen that he had to be loyal to. He was beginning to feel the dread weighing down on him as he realized that maybe even people like Tetsurou deserved redemption. But he couldn’t change the law, so he tried to act as if nothing was bothering him as he watched the three of them enjoy themselves. 

Keiji grabbed Tetsurou’s hands and spun him around with a laugh. 

“Are you having fun?!” Tetsurou asked him over the music. 

“Oh, I wish it would never end!” Keiji laughed with such joy that his cheeks squished his eyes shut. 

Tetsurou smiled and spun Keiji around so that he could dance with Koutarou. He watched as they smiled at one another and felt his heart pounding from the dancing and the look in their eyes as they held each other close. 

_Damn it, Bo. Make a move!_ Tetsurou thought before he was pulled away by a random dancer. 

The dancing ended soon after, and Keiji excitedly noticed a library. The day was enough to keep Tetsurou, Koutarou, and Hajime on their feet. Keiji got overly excited over everything. It didn’t seem like his nature to get so hyped over things, but Tetsurou had to keep reminding himself that he couldn’t see this stuff like they could. This was his first time out in the real world, and he was bound to act unnaturally ecstatic. This was all very new to him, so Tetsurou couldn’t bring himself to be annoyed over having to keep up with the smaller young man. 

It wasn’t until he watched Keiji finish sketching a large owl—with a keen likeliness to Koutarou—onto the pavement with chalk that he decided to say something. 

“Hey,” he said, walking over to Keiji to help him to stand, “I have an idea. Let’s take a rest. Get cleaned up and follow me to the boats.” 

Keiji blinked at him. “The boats?” 

“Trust me.” Tetsurou smiled at him. “You’ll enjoy it.” 


	6. Chapter Five

Crawling into the boat, Tetsurou grabbed the oar and helped Koutarou inside. His friend sat down beside Keiji, and Tetsurou pushed the boat away from the dock with the oar. Hajime stood on the dock and clenched his fists at his sides. 

“Kuroo! What’re you doing?!” 

“Don’t worry, Iwaizumi!” Tetsurou called back to him as he pushed the oar through the water and let the boat travel out onto the lake. “I’ll be back! I promise!” 

“How can I believe you?!” 

“You kind of have to since I’m already out this far!” Tetsurou laughed as he watched Hajime stomp his foot in aggravation. 

“You’re almost as annoying as Oikawa!” 

“Almost?! I didn’t realize I was in competition! I should really up my game!” 

“KUROOOOO!” 

“Later, Iwaizumi!” Tetsurou waved to him with a smirking grin. 

He rowed the small boat out into the center of the lake. The castle came into view as it stood tall and mighty in the center of the kingdom. The moon shone done onto the water, and Keiji pressed the tips of his fingers against it to make the moon’s reflection ripple. 

Koutarou watched him silently, and Tetsurou nudged him with his foot. 

Koutarou looked at him and saw the smirk on Tetsurou’s face. Koutarou glanced back at Keiji and blushed when he turned back towards Tetsurou. 

“You should tell him,” Tetsurou mouthed. 

“I can’t,” Koutarou mouthed back. 

“Do it,” Tetsurou mouthed in response. 

Koutarou shook his head and clutched the satchel in his lap. He bit his lip and thought about it, but shook his head again. 

Tetsurou sighed quietly and pulled the oar back into the boat. 

“So, Keiji, were you satisfied with today?” Tetsurou asked his friend from the opposite end of the boat. “You met a lot of people today, and you seemed to talk to them pretty easily.” 

Keiji waded his hand through the water and smiled fondly down at the stars’ reflections. “It was a wonderful day.” He suddenly frowned sadly. “But I don’t know if just today was enough… What if I go back to the tower and want to come back out again?” He turned to face Tetsurou and Koutarou with fearful, wide eyes. “Mother already knows that I’ve been out.” 

Koutarou held the satchel closer to himself. Keiji had explained a very quick and short summary of his mother’s visit while they were out getting firewood before they’d come to the kingdom. Keiji had purposely left out some of the things that she’d said. He felt guilty over not saying anything. He should trust them, but he didn’t want to give them the chance to fabricate stories about being his friends. He was being cautious. He wanted to learn if they were _truly_ his friends and not just after his hair for profit. He wanted them to like him for him, not just for the value of his hair. 

“I don’t want to risk never being able to leave the tower again…” Keiji continued. “I don’t know if my dream has been fulfilled or not. I’m afraid if I go back that I’ll never be able to return.” 

“Then, don’t go back,” Koutarou said suddenly. He reached over and slid his hand down Keiji’s arm to meet his wrist at the water’s surface. He pulled Keiji’s hand out from the water and intertwined their fingers together. “I can tell that you’re not happy there. Stay with us, and we’ll fulfill your dream.” 

Keiji peered back at him hopefully until his eyes saddened again. 

“What if I fulfill my dream by staying? What then?” 

“That’s the thing about dreams,” Koutarou said to him as he pressed his palm into Keiji’s. “Once you achieve one, you can always dream up another.” 

Keiji slowly began to smile, and he crept closer to Koutarou. His heart was beating quickly, and he could feel his neck burning from a blush. His fingers laced with Koutarou’s went cold, and he put his head down as he grinned to himself. 

Tetsurou watched them with a simple smile on his lips as he leaned against the boat. 

_Your dream might just come true, too, Bo._

“Look, Keiji!” Koutarou pointed towards the water, and Keiji followed his gaze to see the owl lanterns floating onto the water’s surface. He gasped lightly and widened his eyes towards them in awe. 

“They’re beautiful,” Keiji said quietly. He reached his hand out to touch one, but Tetsurou reached across Koutarou to stop him. 

“The lanterns are spirits,” he told him gently. 

“Spirits?” 

“The king and queen lost their son. Over the years, the tradition of the lanterns has focused more on the spirits of people who have died.” Tetsurou sat back in the boat and watched the owl lanterns float across the lake and towards the river. “The king and queen hope that their son is alive, but they have allowed the commoners to let their lanterns represent loved ones that they’ve lost.” 

“So, the lanterns represent the dead,” Keiji said quietly. He looked towards the river as the first lantern reached it and began to disappear down the channel. 

“The prince’s birthday is the celebration _of_ his birthday and of the lives of the deceased,” Tetsurou told him. “There are a lot of things about this day that make it a big event each year. I never really got into it though... even when I used to live here as a kid and before I started travelling around.” 

Koutarou looked at him. “There has to be someone that you’ve lost, Kuroo.” 

Tetsurou looked up at the moon and narrowed his eyes. His eyes softened sorrowfully as he recalled the memory that he’d been trying to block out over the years. He’d never trusted anybody enough to reveal this story. No one had ever wanted to be his friend until he’d met these two, so no one had known how much it hurt him to lose his mother at such a young age. 

“I lost… my mother,” he admitted. “I was a problem child. She always had to get onto me, but I knew that she still loved me. I don’t know…” He waved his hand around to distract his mind from thinking too deeply. “She was the only person who saw something… more in me, I guess.” 

“What happened to her?” Koutarou asked carefully, sitting directly in front of Tetsurou with Keiji right beside him. 

Tetsurou didn’t look at their faces. Instead, he let his eyes rest against the nighttime sky that had made a mirrored image on top of the water’s black surface. 

“She passed away. She hadn’t even known that she was sick until it was too late. She was gone so quickly. I was forced to go to an orphanage, and I…” He sighed helplessly. “My bad habits got worse. Nobody wanted to be my friend because I stole and caused problems. No one else ever saw anything more in me like my mother did.” His eyes glossed over with shame. “After awhile, stealing became something like coping. I wanted to make her proud by being like Kurosawa Tetsudou. I _had_ to steal to make her proud. Or… so I used to think… I started to doubt that there anything more to me like she used to say there was…” He lowered his head and hid his face behind his hands. “She would be very disappointed in me now…” 

“Tetsurou?” Keiji looked at him with a gentle gaze. He crept closer to him and pulled his hands away from his face slowly. Waiting until Tetsurou met his eyes, he finally said, “You’re not a bad person. We love you, and we think there’s more to you than just your mistakes.” 

“You’re owning up to them,” Koutarou added. He waited for Keiji to move over to pull Tetsurou into a hug. He smiled against Tetsurou’s cheek and added, “That’s a start! We’ll help you do better so that you can change your life around!” 

“He’s right. You’re our friend,” Keiji said, smiling at Tetsurou. “We’ll help you.” 

Tetsurou looked back at both of them and found his eyes gleaming with a few tears. He smiled back at them and nodded. “Thanks.” 

Koutarou and Keiji smiled back at him. 

* * *

The water gleamed from the light of the moon. The moon pushed and pulled the water, creating gentle ripples across its surface. Tetsurou sat beside the water’s edge and stared at the reflection of the sky as he rested his hands on top of his folded arms that were on top of his knees. 

He felt a hand rub against his back, and he turned to look at his friend. 

“Hey, Bo,” he greeted him. 

“You okay?” Koutarou asked him. 

“I’m fine.” He watched some clouds break apart in the reflection of the water and looked up to see that they were drifting away from each other. “Or maybe not.” He sighed. “I’m a thief,” he said, leaning back onto the dirt to lie down. “I’ve stolen things, and I stole something really… important… Tomorrow, Iwaizumi’s going to arrest me, and I’ll probably be in prison for a long… long time.” 

Koutarou softened his eyes as he looked down at him. He lied back beside Tetsurou and said, “Is it in this satchel?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Then, we can just give the satchel back!” 

“Bo… like everything, it’s not that easy. I’m not just wanted for taking _this_.” He opened the satchel up that was across Koutarou’s torso and pulled out the crown. It sparkled in the moonlight, and Koutarou’s eyes widened in surprise. “I’ve been stealing so many things for so long that I didn’t have the morality to stop and think that maybe stealing the prince’s crown from the castle wasn’t the best idea. Now, they want me on a silver platter!” 

They both turned towards the bushes when they rustled. Hajime stepped out with his battered uniform on and no sword in his holster. His pupils slit into a glare as he spotted Tetsurou. 

“Alright, Kuroo,” he started to say, “I let you have your fun, but it’s time to come with _me_.” 

“It’s not tomorrow yet,” Tetsurou said. 

“It’s past midnight.” 

“Oh… So, it is tomorrow…” Tetsurou started to stand and back away. “Look, Iwaizumi… can’t we make a deal? I have the crown. I’ll give it back!” 

“It’s too late for that,” Hajime told him miserably. “You already stole it. You can’t just give it back. There are punishments for people who steal, especially from the king and queen. There’s nothing that can be done about that…” 

“A-and what exactly are these punishments?” 

Hajime’s eyes softened into pity. He relaxed his body and met Tetsurou’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Kuroo… Truly, I am.” 

Tetsurou put his hand up to his neck and rubbed it with a gulp. “O-oh…” 

Koutarou jumped up to stand and rushed over to Hajime, nearly knocking him down as he latched onto his arm and started pleading with him. 

“No! Please! There has to be another way! Can’t he go to trial or something? What if he does service?” He was hysterical as he kept bombarding Hajime was suggestions and asking to let Tetsurou live. The desperation coming from Koutarou made Tetsurou realize that he truly didn’t want to see him die. He didn’t want to lose him, and Tetsurou felt like he’d swallowed a rock as a lump formed in his throat and his chest burned with an unknown and foreign feeling. 

Hajime pushed Koutarou away and sighed with the weight of the situation. 

“There’s nothing that I can do. I—” 

“What’s going on?” 

The three of them turned to see Keiji walking back to the site with firewood. He placed the wood down beside the fire and looked back at them with curiosity. 

“I’m sorry,” Hajime said to him, “but it’s past midnight, and I have to arrest Kuroo.” 

“Can’t you wait until morning?” Keiji asked him. 

“Keiji, they want to hang him!” Koutarou shouted, throwing his hands into the air. “Charm the pants off of this guy and help Kuroo to stay alive!” 

Hajime grabbed the top of his pants. “Uhh…” 

“Iwaizumi-san,” Keiji said as he came closer to the demoted guard, “what if there was a way to talk to the king and queen themselves? Would they be willing to listen?” 

Hajime looked back into Keiji’s eyes and nodded slowly. “They might.” 

“Then, I’ll go and talk to them myself,” Keiji said as he hooked his arm with Tetsurou’s. “Would you take us to the castle, Iwaizumi-san?” 

Hajime looked back at Keiji again and then looked at Tetsurou’s pleading eyes and Koutarou’s clasped hands and pouting lip. 

He rubbed the back of his head and groaned. “Alright…” 


	7. Chapter Six

Tetsurou whistled as he looked back up at the castle. “I said this a few days ago, but I _really_ want a castle.” 

Hajime yanked him towards the gate. He had a pair of shackles around Tetsurou’s wrists and talked to the guard at the front entrance. As the gate opened up, Koutarou’s eyes expanded. 

“Wow! That’s almost as amazing as me!” 

Keiji shook his head as Tetsurou snickered. 

Hajime led them inside and went through the corridor. The king and queen were sitting down as they entered their throne room, and Hajime kneeled before them. He yanked Tetsurou down to kneel as Koutarou and Keiji followed suit. 

“My king and queen, I have brought to you the thief that had stolen the prince’s crown.” 

“I have the crown right here!” Koutarou stood up and held up the satchel. 

Hajime glared at him, and Koutarou slowly put his arms down halfheartedly and kneeled back down on his knee. “I’m sorry.” 

The king rose from his seat. He stepped down the few stairs and stood in front of them. “You may rise,” he told them all. They all stood up, and Tetsurou faced the king as he felt a burning sensation in the pit of his stomach from the anxiety that was clawing at his insides. The king held his cold eyes dead on Tetsurou’s and frowned at him. 

“My liege,” Hajime began to say, “I apologize for speaking so hastily and without being addressed, but the thief’s friend would like to speak to you about his punishment.” 

Keiji stepped forward and met the king’s eyes. 

The king looked back into his and found himself losing him composure as he found that his eyes resembled his lost son’s. He would never forget eyes like those, and he found that his own were tearing up at the sight of Keiji’s. He noticed the long braid that ran down his back and found it compelling and odd. He imagined that his hair would trail across the entire room if it were unbraided. It reminded him of the peculiarly long hair that belonged to his lost son. He became choked up. 

The queen rushed towards her husband and held onto his arm. 

“What is the matter?” 

“Please, come with us,” the king said to Keiji as he pulled him towards him with his hand. He looked towards Hajime. “Iwaizumi, keep the thief in a cell.” 

“Yes, my Lord. What about the other?” 

The king glanced towards Koutarou, and he saw him smile back at him, holding the pouch to the satchel close to his chest. 

“Who is he?” 

“He’s…” Keiji looked back at Koutarou. “He’s my friend, too… He wasn’t a part of the crime though, sire.” 

“Place him in the cell as well, Iwaizumi,” the queen told him. “Take the crown back to its rightful place, please.” 

“Yes, my Lady.” Hajime bowed to her respectfully and took Tetsurou and Koutarou away from them. Tetsurou looked behind himself to meet Keiji’s eyes. 

Keiji nodded towards him. 

_Help me, Keiji…_

* * *

Koutarou tapped his hand against the bench as he sat in front of it. He began to create a tune as he hummed, and added bass to it by turning the bench into a drum. 

Tetsurou was lying on the bed and facing the ceiling with his thoughts wandering every which way to the point where he covered his face up with his hands and groaned. 

The music that Koutarou had created halted, and he looked back at Tetsurou. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m not,” Tetsurou admitted dryly. “If Keiji doesn’t convince the king and queen to let me live, then I’m a goner, Bo. I’m dead.” 

Koutarou’s mouth went dry. “D-don’t say that, Kuroo. Keiji will convince them. They’ll be charmed by him and allow you to go free.” 

Tetsurou turned around in the bed and let his back face Koutarou. “Maybe it’d be best if he didn’t. You guys have gotten into so much trouble because of me. If Keiji isn’t going to go back to that tower, you guys really don’t need a third wheel trailing after you.” 

Koutarou scoffed. 

“We don’t care! You’re our friend, Kuroo.” 

Tetsurou frowned and turned around to sit up and face Koutarou. 

“Why? What good qualities do I have that you guys would consider me such a good friend after only a few days?” 

Koutarou blinked back at him. “Well… Uh…” 

“That’s what I thought.” He stood up and walked over to the bars and held two of them within his hands. He pressed his face between them and sighed. 

“Kuroo…” 

“I’m sorry, Bo,” Tetsurou apologized with regret filling in through his words. “I really did want to help Keiji have a nice time, but life is always so hard, and there are always so many setbacks.” He gripped the bars so hard that his knuckles turned white. “I’ve had this coming. I don’t think that Keiji can save me. This is what I deserve for not being better.” 

Koutarou stood up and walked up to him slowly. He wrapped his arms around him from behind and pressed his cheek into Tetsurou’s back. 

“I used to think like that. I would get downhearted too much, but I got better. I changed. You can, too, Kuroo. I _know_ that Keiji will convince them, and we can help you do better. We love you.” 

Tears fell from Tetsurou’s eyes and dripped down from his nose onto the stone floor. He lowered his head and started to cry silently. His body shook slightly, and Koutarou held him tighter. 

“We’re your friends, Kuroo,” Koutarou continued. “We won’t let anything happen to you. We promise.” 

“W-why… would you wanna be friends with me?” he whispered. 

“Because you’re a good guy that’s gone through some tough times. You’re a good guy who’s just a little misguided, is all. You have such a big heart, and we both see that in you.” 

Tetsurou pushed his body away from the bars and turned around to hug Koutarou. He pressed himself into him and cried into his shoulder. He wasn’t usually a crier, but even people like him needed to cry every once in awhile, and this seemed like an appropriate time to do so. 

“I want a second chance,” he said through the tears. 

“You’ll get it,” Koutarou assured him as he rubbed his back and held his friend in his arms. He could feel Tetsurou’s heartbeat against his skin, and he wished that he could heal it so that Tetsurou wouldn’t feel so broken. Koutarou knew he felt like that, but he just needed to be patient with him so that he could mend in due time. He loved Tetsurou, and he didn’t want to see him like this anymore. 

“I hope you’re right…” 

* * *

“Wake up.” 

Tetsurou blinked open his eyes and rubbed them. He sat up in the hard bed and squinted his eyes over at the bars. He saw Hajime—cleaned and in a new and sparkling uniform—standing there with the keys around his finger. He swung them skillfully and watched Tetsurou with a relaxed gaze. 

“Iwaizumi?” 

“You’re free.” 

“What?” Koutarou said as he yawned and sat up on the top bunk. He looked over at Hajime and widened his eyes. “Kuroo’s free to go?” 

“The king and queen have dropped all your charges. You’ve been pardoned on all accounts of theft and other things.” 

Koutarou laughed and hopped down from the bed. He pulled a shocked Tetsurou up from the bottom bunk and spun him around after picking him up into an embrace. 

“Keiji did it! He convinced them!” 

“W-what the hell?” Tetsurou looked over at Hajime as Koutarou spun him around. “Bo. Bokuto. Bokuto! I’m getting dizzy!” 

Koutarou put him down. “My bad.” 

Hajime unlocked the bars and pulled the door open. “But the king and queen would like to talk to you.” 

“About… what?” 

“I’m not sure,” Hajime said. He let the two of the exit from their cell and began to lead them through the passageways and back up to the castle. They walked through the castle with nerves hammering inside their bodies. Tetsurou was free, but he was still nervous about what the king and queen wanted to talk to him about. 

As they arrived into the dining room, the king instructed them to sit. 

Tetsurou and Koutarou slowly sat down and stared at the hoard of food before them. The entire table was covered with delicious meats and vegetables and fruits and sweets. Koutarou’s mouth began to water, but Tetsurou nudged him, and they both looked towards the king and queen at the end of the table. 

Hajime sat across from Koutarou and Tetsurou and waited for the king to speak. 

“After discussing the situation with your friend,” the king began, “we decided to free you of all your burdens. We have rewarded you by pardoning all of your charges for bringing our son back to us.” 

Tetsurou leaned his ear closer to them. “I’m sorry?” 

“Keiji,” the queen said, “is our son. We just know that he is. He explained to us your little adventure, and he told us of his mother.” The word was bitter on her tongue, and she tried to keep herself composed. “She was the woman that kidnapped him as a child. We’ve been looking for our son for eighteen years, and we finally have him back. We wanted to thank you by granting you freedom.” 

She stood and walked over to a door at the side of the room. She pulled the door open and presented Keiji to them. His hair had been washed to a sleek shine. Tetsurou never knew black could be so blinding, and he never knew that Keiji’s hair could look even more elegant than before. He noticed the way they’d braided and curled his hair so that his long locks wouldn’t drag across the floor. Natsu would’ve been amazed by it. 

Keiji stepped into the room as he fiddled with his fingers in front of himself. He was wearing new clothes made of expensive material. He wore the crown that Tetsurou had stolen days prior atop his head. 

“Keiji, you’re a prince?!” Koutarou voice echoed throughout the entire dining room. Hajime sneered at him from across the table, and Koutarou shrank in his seat. 

Keiji smiled over at him softly and chuckled. 

“Isn’t it incredible?” Keiji said as he walked with his mother over to the table. They both sat down, and Keiji made sure to sit down right in-between Tetsurou and Koutarou. He laced their fingers together and grinned warmly between the both of them, affection shining in his eyes. “This is where I belong…” 

“So, your mother really isn’t your mother?” Koutarou asked. 

Keiji’s eyes saddened, and he looked at the table. The queen reached over to sooth him gently. 

“It’ll take some time to accept,” Keiji confessed. He looked back at his true mother and smiled at her gratefully. 

“Please, this is a joyous occasion!” the king announced. His hands were thrown up into the air, and he gestured towards the food. “Eat! Be merry! We will let the kingdom know that our son has returned tomorrow morning after you have all eaten and rested. 

Tetsurou pushed his back up against his chair to look behind Keiji as he was distracted with getting some food. He met Koutarou’s eyes and mouthed something to him. Koutarou blinked back at him and shook his head. Tetsurou gave him a look, and Koutarou blushed. 

“Later,” he mouthed back. 


	8. Chapter Seven

Tetsurou pulled the frying pan out of his satchel and walked down the street with Koutarou at his side. He examined the pan and started laughing. 

Koutarou looked at him. 

“What’s so funny?” 

“This entire adventure is just as ridiculous as using this frying pan as a weapon back at the dam.” He laughed again and placed the frying pan back into the satchel. “It just seems so unreal, you know?” 

Koutarou started to grin. “Yeah. I can’t believe Keiji’s a prince! And you’ve been pardoned! It’s all like a dream.” 

Tetsurou smiled ahead of himself. “Hmm. A dream. Yeah, I guess that’s true.” He lowered his eyelids as he passed by a window in the market. He halted and went back to the window to see a bright red book making itself known to the world behind the glass. 

He looked at the title. 

Koutarou came up beside him and read the title aloud. “ _The Tales of Kurosawa Tetsudou_.” He gasped. “Hey! Isn’t that the book that you used to read, Kuroo?” 

“Yeah, it is,” he replied. He smiled real big at the book. “I can’t believe they have such a new copy of it.” 

“Excuse me, are you going to come in and buy something?” a woman at the entranceway asked them. 

Tetsurou looked back at her and then at the book. He rummaged through his pockets for money but found nothing. He opened the satchel up and pulled out the frying pan. He looked back at the woman and held it up to her. “Would you be willing to trade?” 

The woman frowned and slammed the door. 

Sighing, Tetsurou placed the pan back into his satchel. 

_I want that book…_ he thought. 

* * *

Tetsurou and Koutarou made their way through the town in good spirits. Things seemed to be headed in a hopeful direction for them. Koutarou was happy that Keiji finally found his family and would be able to leave his home whenever he wanted to to enjoy life, something that he’d always wanted, and Tetsurou was happy that he could get a fresh, new start at his life. The slate had been wiped clean, and he wasn’t going to screw this up. 

“What’re you going to do to get that book?” Koutarou wondered. He leaned over to look at Tetsurou’s face and smiled when he noticed Tetsurou smile first. 

“I’ll earn the money,” he promised him. 

Koutarou laughed and clapped his hand onto Tetsurou’s back. “Awesome! I can help you if you want,” he offered. 

Tetsurou smirked. “Thanks, but I can do it myself. I’ll feel better that way.” He spread his lips into a smirk. 

Koutarou gave him a thumbs up with a tiny grin. Tetsurou watched his smile fade slowly as he looked behind Tetsurou with his pupils growing smaller. Tetsurou turned around to see Kentarou smirking at him. Tetsurou turned back around just as Koutarou yelped and saw Yuuji holding him. 

“Hey, what’re you doing?!” Tetsurou felt helpless as he watched Yuuji put a cloth over Koutarou’s mouth. Tetsurou felt one go over his own, and he went limp as he blacked out. 

* * *

His head was pounding, and he could feel himself being dragged against the floor. He groaned and slowly began to open his eyes. 

With blurry vision, Tetsurou blinked several times to adjust his eyes to the lack of light. He noticed Mother Geiru speaking to Yuuji and Kentarou. She handed over the crown that Tetsurou had returned to the royal family. 

They left with the crown through a staircase below the floorboards. 

Tetsurou kept still and silent as he watched Mother Geiru walk over to a figure in the dark. She bent down to the figure and said something that Tetsurou couldn’t make out. 

As his eyes finally adjusted to the unbearable darkness, he noticed the long trail of hair that ran across the floor. His eyes followed the trail to find Keiji’s face. It was full of fear, and his mouth was covered with a piece of cloth as his wrists were cuffed. Chains clacked against the stone, and Keiji struggled to stand. 

Tetsurou turned to his side to see Koutarou still knocked out. 

He nudged Koutarou until his friend awoke. He covered his mouth and whispered into his ear, “Pretend you’re still unconscious. Don’t be alarmed, but Keiji’s chained to the wall. We need to get rid of…” He racked his brain to remember what Koutarou had called this lady before. His eyes widened when he continued with, “Mother Geiru.” 

Koutarou tried to speak underneath his hand. 

Tetsurou removed his hand to hear Koutarou repeat himself. 

“What do we do?” 

“We need to distract her.” 

“How?” 

“We—” 

Tetsurou stopped to look up at Mother Geiru as she stood above the two of them. She held a knife in her hand and slid the blade between her index finger and thumb. 

“How do you plan on devising a plan against me if your conversation is as loud as your hairstyles?” 

In unison, they both patted their hair and looked up at her. 

She snarled and stuck the blade through Koutarou’s stomach. 

“GAAAH!” He fell to the ground as blood poured from his wound. 

Keiji struggled against the chains and called out Koutarou’s name beneath the cloth. His eyes were stretched as far as they could go, and Tetsurou was too busy staring at Koutarou in horror to make a move towards Mother Geiru. 

He looked up just as she was lifting the knife up again. He dodged and rolled over to the side. He backed up against the wall and stood up as she hurried over to him and lunged with the blade. 

Tetsurou ran across the room but tripped over a stool and fell onto the floor. 

“Damn it! I can’t see _anything_ in here!” 

He _really_ hated the dark. 

He turned onto his back and felt a hard boot kick against his ribcage. He held his ribs as Mother Geiru got on top of him and held the knife up to his eyes. 

“Then, let’s make that a permanent fix, shall we?” She stabbed his eyes, and the scream that escaped his mouth was enough to make Keiji start sobbing. 

Tetsurou’s eyesight vanished as blood oozed out from his wound. He covered his damaged eyes with his hands and cried out in pain. 

Mother Geiru stood from her spot and placed the knife into her boot. She slowly walked over to Keiji and grabbed his chains. 

“Don’t worry, dear,” she said nicely with a sinister grin. “Your friends seem nice. They’ll probably be sent to the nice side of the afterlife.” 

She yanked on the chains and began to pull him away towards the center of the room. 

“I was going to let them go free,” she added, “but I figured that they’ve put me through _too_ much trouble to live peacefully. Having those two thieves bring them here was a bargain!” 

She laughed and pulled harder on the chains. They scraped against the hard surface, making a noise that made Keiji cringe. 

“They wanted revenge on No Eyes here.” She gestured towards Tetsurou as he bled onto the floor, crying from the agony. “I thought that that was a _steal_! Killing the two troublesome guys that put me through Hell to get you back in exchange for the prince’s crown? I think that was worth the deal! However”—she laughed harshly—“I would’ve killed them anyway. I just needed them to be brought here to _die_ , so I made the deal with the two brutes.” 

Keiji glared at her as she continued to pull him towards the staircase. Despite the sickness that was itching at the inside of his stomach and the tears that clouded his vision, Keiji continued to fight against her. He yanked himself towards the wall, but Mother Geiru pulled just as hard to pull him forward. 

He kicked and slid against the floor to free himself from her grasp, and she was visibly becoming frustrated with him. 

“Stop it! I am taking you where nobody else will ever find you, so _quit_ fighting!” 

Keiji struggled so much against her that the cloth slid from his mouth in that instant. Glaring at her, he shouted back, “No! I’m not going to stop fighting!” He glanced back at Koutarou as he lied on the floor in pain from his stab wound to the stomach and at Tetsurou, who was bleeding from his blinded eyes. 

Determined, Keiji looked straight up at the woman who’d raised him. For as long as he could remember, this was the woman who had taken care of him ever since he was a baby. She’d fed him, clothed him, and loved him. Or… so he’d thought. 

He felt betrayed by the one person who he thought he could trust forever. His whole life seemed to be flipped upside down, and because of him, the loves of his life were dying on the tower that he’d been living in every day. 

Feeling a surge of boldness run throughout his veins, Keiji met Mother Geiru’s eyes. 

“But I’ll stop. I’ll stop fighting against you. I’ll go with you willingly if you let me save my friends. They’ll never know where we’re going.” 

Mother Geiru narrowed her eyes towards Keiji and gripped the chains firmly in her aging hands. 

“If you just let me save them”—Keiji kept his apathy-for-life eyes on her—“then, I won’t ever fight against you again.” 

“No…” Koutarou reached towards him and winced when more blood trickled down his stomach. “K-Keiji…” 

Keiji’s eyes teared up at the sight of him, and he looked back towards Mother Geiru. 

“Please…” 

Mother Geiru stared him down for a moment. She sighed and unlocked Keiji’s cuffs and pulled them over towards Koutarou. She put one cuff on his wrist and then pulled Tetsurou over to sit beside him. She cuffed one of his wrists and made sure they were secure. 

“Just in case you two get any bright ideas,” she growled. 

Keiji hurried over to them and put his hands over Koutarou’s cheeks. 

“Oh, Koutarou…” he breathed out helplessly. 

“Keiji, please don’t do this…” 

“I have to,” he said. He pulled back Koutarou’s overshirt and gasped at the pool of blood that had formed around his stomach. 

“But you’ll die if you help us. At least help Kuroo first,” he begged. 

“No,” Tetsurou said. He reached over to place his hand into Koutarou’s. He squeezed it firmly and stared at nothing as he covered his eyes with his other arm. “You deserve this more than I do. You have a bright future ahead…” He couldn’t finish his sentence as the pain became too much for him. 

Keiji’s lip quivered, and he placed his long hair against Koutarou’s stomach. He started to sing, and his hair lit up like fire. Koutarou watched as the magic within Keiji’s strands of hair flowed to his wound. He could feel sudden relief as the wound healed quickly, and he smiled when he saw Keiji’s smile of relief staring back at him. 

“Hurry it up,” Mother Geiru called from behind them. “I don’t have all day!” 

Keiji turned to Tetsurou and lifted his body up to him. 

“I’m so sorry, Tetsurou…” he whispered to him. “I’m so sorry…” 

Tetsurou moved his hand up to find Keiji’s face. He cupped his cheek in his one hand and smiled at him through the pain. 

“It’s not your fault,” he told him. 

“H-how can you say that?” 

“Bo and I don’t think it’s your fault, Keiji.” He pulled Keiji to his chest and hugged him. “You’re a victim, too, so don’t think it is. Now… be free and live out your dream even further.” He felt Keiji’s hair and picked up the knife that he’d kept hidden. He slashed the blade through Keiji’s long hair and cut it extremely short. 

Keiji felt his hair and gasped as he looked back at Tetsurou. 

“T-Tetsurou!” 

Mother Geiru stared as the pitch black hair dulled in color on the ground. She saw the knife in Tetsurou’s hand and pulled up her dress to find that her knife had been taken. 

“How?!” 

“I may be blind”—Tetsurou smiled as he leaned against the wall—“but I can still steal in the dark.” 

Mother Geiru let out a horrified groan and picked up the hair. She watched it go limp in her palms and looked down at her graying skin. 

“No… No!” She hurried over to the mirror and cried out in shock. Her skin began to wrinkle, and her hair grayed to white. She pulled her cloak’s hood up over her head and backed up towards the wall, eventually backing up too close to the balcony and stumbling over the edge. 

Keiji reached out towards her. He stood up and ran over to the balcony to see that the woman that he used to call “Mother” hit the ground. She was no longer there, and dust flew up everywhere below. 

With tears in his eyes, Keiji stepped back in disbelief. Shaking his head, he turned around to see Koutarou holding Tetsurou up in his arms. Keiji ran back to them and looked down at Tetsurou with sadness. 

“Oh, Tetsurou… why?” 

Tetsurou only smiled and felt around for Koutarou and Keiji’s hands. He pushed them together and patted them with his blessing. 

“I told you that Bo had much more to live for,” he rasped out. “Thanks for being… my friends, guys…” His body went cold against them, and Koutarou looked at Keiji with his lip quivering and tears streaming down his face. 

“Tets…Tetsurou…?” Keiji, holding Koutarou’s hand still, looked down at Tetsurou’s lifeless body. “Tetsurou, no…” Keiji kissed Koutarou’s hand and slowly unlaced their fingers to help Tetsurou sit up. He held him close in his arms and felt his body growing cold. 

As much as Keiji resented his imposter mother, to see her die in such an implausible way was enough to make his heart grow heavy. But to watch one of his best friends and one of the two people that he’d easily fallen in love with die right before him was enough to break his heart into a million pieces. He felt a rush of tears fill up his eyes, and he leaned his head over Tetsurou’s and sobbed. 

Tears fell onto Tetsurou’s eyes and face, and Keiji could feel the aching in his chest worsen with each passing second that Tetsurou wasn’t alive in his life. 

He’d been through so much with him, and he admired his bravery and his wit. He adored his personality, and he adored his presence. He wanted to get to know more about Tetsurou because he felt like he’d only just begun, but he already felt such a deep connection with him. He knew that he loved him like he loved Koutarou. 

Tetsurou sacrificed so much for the both of them. He sacrificed his life to save Keiji and Koutarou. 

It was enough to kill a part of Keiji as he bent over Tetsurou’s body and mouthed out a simple “thank you”. 

Koutarou wiped the tears from his own eyes and looked at Tetsurou. His mouth opened, and he grabbed Keiji’s arm. 

“K-Keiji! Look!” 

Keiji opened his eyes to look down at Tetsurou. The blood peeled away from his face, and the wounds that were deeply inscribed into his sockets and eyeballs began to disappear. Right before Keiji’s eyes, Tetsurou’s eyes had healed. 

Keiji touched his tears and looked down at the ones that had seeped into Tetsurou’s face and were making his face glow like his hair used to do when he’d sing. 

“Tetsurou?” Keiji looked down at him. 

Tetsurou squeezed his eyes and then blinked them opened slowly. His vision cleared, and he was met by a crying Keiji and a wet-faced Koutarou as they both stared down at him. 

“Geez, who died?” 

Koutarou laughed, and he and Keiji pulled Tetsurou up into a hug. 

Tetsurou smiled against their shoulders. 

“I’m here,” he said to them. “I’m here, guys.” 

“And we’re never letting you go!” Koutarou said, holding him tighter. 

Tetsurou lowered his eyelids and closed his eyes as he hugged them back. 


	9. Chapter Eight

“Nekomata-sensei!” Keiji lifted his arm to give him a wave. 

Yasufumi smiled fondly over at Keiji and balanced a ball on the flat view of his hook and held his hand out towards him. Keiji took it and shook it politely. 

“Evening, Prince Keiji,” he greeted him. “How’s your day coming along?” 

“It’s been fine,” Keiji said. “How’s your new game coming along?” 

“Incredibly!” Yasufumi assured him. “I’ve decided to call it… volleyball. Bokuto is a quick learner. He enjoys playing. He has great ideas, too.” 

Keiji smiled. 

“I’m glad. Do you know where he is?” 

“He should be with Kuroo,” he told him. “Oh, and thanks for letting me help out with the punishments of the criminals. Having Kyoutani and Terushima as practice dummies is thrilling.” He smirked, and Keiji nodded. 

“You’re welcome, Nekomata-sensei. Hopefully, they’ll have a transformation like Tetsurou did.” 

“Don’t worry about it! I’ll whip those two into shape. Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for their practice.” He laughed heartily and headed off towards the cells, greeting Hajime at the gate. 

Hajime looked over at the young prince and walked over to him as he closed the gate that led to the cells. 

“Something the matter, my liege?” 

“Please, Hajime, you can call me Keiji. I don’t mind.” 

“It wouldn’t be formal.” 

Keiji placed his hand on his shoulder. “It would make me feel better.” 

Hajime blinked back at him and dipped his head. “Is something the matter… Keiji?” 

“Not particularly... I’m just a little concerned about something.” 

“Is it bad news? Should I be on guard?” Hajime gripped the end of his sword and relaxed when Keiji gave him a small grin and shook his head. 

“No, it’s nothing like that. It’s more about Tetsurou, Koutarou, and me.” 

“Care to explain?” Hajime lifted his brow. 

Keiji began to lead the promoted guard away from the chamber of cells, discussing something in a hush-hush tone as he latched their arms together so as to make sure that nobody else could overhear their conversation. 

Koutarou noticed them from Keiji’s bedroom. He was sitting against the window inside of the nook. His hair seemed to deflate, and Tetsurou looked over from Keiji’s bed to see his friend’s downcast demeanor. 

“Are you getting into one of your moods again?” he asked as he carefully counted the coins that laid out in front of him on the bed. 

“Come here,” Koutarou said, ignoring his question. 

Tetsurou pulled himself up from the bed, making sure that his money didn’t fall off it, and walked over to him. 

“What is it?” 

“What do you think that’s all about?” Koutarou pointed towards Keiji and Hajime. They were walking rather close to one another, and Keij had his arm laced together with Hajime’s. 

Tetsurou lifted his brow and laughed, clapping his hand against Koutarou’s back. 

“Don’t worry about it, Bo! The prince and head of the royal army have to discuss kingdom things.” 

“But why are they walking like _that_?” Koutarou wondered. 

Tetsurou took a closer look and narrowed his eyes down at them. He rubbed his chin and shrugged. “Maybe they’re planning to elope.” 

“What?!” 

Tetsurou laughed again. “Kidding! Seriously, Bokuto. Don’t worry about it. Keiji loves you. Besides, I’m kind of thinkin’ that Iwaizumi has a thing for one of the other guards. Oikawa? I think that’s his name…” Tetsurou tapped his chin in thought. 

Koutarou watched them from the window and started to smile. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m just a little nervous.” 

“About what?” Tetsurou asked as he sat back down on the bed and continued to count his money. 

“I want to, uh… I want to ask Keiji to marry me.” He averted his eyes away from Tetsurou. It seemed like Koutarou wanted to add more to his statement, but he said no more as Tetsurou dropped the handful of coins that were in his hand and cursed underneath his breath. He got up and started picking up the coins with annoyance. 

“What was that all about?” Koutarou asked him as he got down on the floor to help him. 

Tetsurou looked up at his piercing golden eyes. He held out his hand for Koutarou to dump the coins that he’d picked up into his palm. 

“Nothing. I was just a little surprised, is all. Are you sure you’re ready for that kind of step?” 

“Well, it’s been a few months since all of that happened...” Koutarou tapped his fingers together. “And I visited Keiji at that tower for over a year before you showed up…” He was leaving out more information, and he hoped that a smart guy like Tetsurou wouldn’t pick up on that. 

Tetsurou blinked. 

“Wow. That’s dedication.” 

Koutarou felt relieved. 

“That’s _love_.” He smiled as he clasped his hands together and looked up at the sky like he’d just seen cloud nine floating above his head with little hearts puttering out from the white fluff. 

Tetsurou smirked and stood up from the floor. He picked up his money from the bed and pushed it all into his satchel. 

“Alright, I can dig it. This isn’t a Disney movie. You guys didn’t fall in love after, like, a day.” 

Koutarou scratched his head. “What the hell is a Disney? And what’s a movie?” 

“Nevermind,” Tetsurou said, waving him off. “Let’s get down to the bookstore, huh? I need to get something.” 

“I can look at some rings in town while we’re there!” 

“Do you have money?” 

“No…” 

Tetsurou glanced down into his bag. He’d saved up enough money to purchase the new Kurosawa Tetsudou book, along with the rest from that series that he’d recently became aware of. 

The series was rather lengthy, and the books were expensive, but Tetsurou had worked in numerous places for the last few months, even working in the castle for a more hearty salary. Saving up for the books was a goal of his, but he knew that Koutarou wouldn’t be able to save up money for a ring so quickly. 

And he knew his friend. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to ask Keiji without that little thing to slip onto his finger. It was a sentimental value that Koutarou would _really_ want when he proposed to him. 

Tetsurou grinned to himself and slipped the strap over his head and handed the satchel to Koutarou. 

Koutarou looked down at the bag and then up at Tetsurou. 

“What’s this?” 

“Forget the bookstore,” Tetsurou said. “Let’s head to the jewelry store. We can get a ring with the money that I saved up.” 

“What? No! Kuroo, you should keep this! You earned all of this money.” He handed the satchel back to Tetsurou, but Tetsurou pushed it back to his chest. 

“I insist, Bo.” He stared him down. “This is more important.” 

“I can’t let you do that!” Koutarou pushed the satchel to Tetsurou’s chest. “You’ve already sacrificed so much for us already. I can’t take this money.” 

“Just take it, Bokuto.” Tetsurou pushed it back towards him. 

“Not a chance!” Koutarou pressed the bag back into Tetsurou. 

Tetsurou frowned and pushed it back to him. “Take it, Bo.” 

Koutarou returned it to him. “Nuh-uh!” 

“Bokuto!” Tetsurou pressed it into his chest, frowning. “Take it!” 

“No!” Koutarou moved it back towards him. 

_He’s so stubborn!_ they both thought in unison. 

* * *

Tetsurou and Koutarou were both lying on the ground, pushing the satchel back and forth to each other. 

“Take it,” Tetsurou would say. 

“No, _you_ take it,” Koutarou would reply. 

They kept doing this for a long time, continuing the notion from earlier. It wasn’t until the door flung open that they both sat up and looked over at Hajime’s second-in-command. 

His hair was soft-looking, and his uniform fit him just perfectly. He stared at the two of them on the floor and saluted them. 

“You two are needed by Prince Keiji.” 

They stood up and hurried towards the door. 

“Nice work,” Koutarou teased him. 

“Thanks, Oikawa!” Tetsurou smirked as he passed by him. 

Tooru looked after them in confusion, wondering how such a prim and proper prince would _ever_ want to hang around people like _them_. 

Koutarou and Tetsurou walked down the corridors and made it to the foyer where the king and queen would sit whenever they were occupying their thrones. 

At the moment, they were empty, and Tetsurou looked in the opposite direction to find Keiji smiling back at them as he began to play with his fingers out of habit. 

“It’s kind of dark in here, isn’t it…?” Tetsurou asked. He glanced towards the window and rubbed his temples when he realized that he and Koutarou had been arguing back and forth for hours about the bag full of money. 

_What a wasted afternoon…_

“Are you still afraid of the dark?” Koutarou put his arm around Tetsurou’s shoulders and looked at him. 

Tetsurou frowned. “I told you, I’m not _afraid_ of the dark. I just don’t _like_ the dark.” 

Hajime cleared his throat as he came in to stand beside the young prince that was attired in a soft pink uniform with lilac trimmings and his sparkling crown that was placed upon his short hair which complimented him just as nicely as his long hair used to. 

Tetsurou and Koutarou faced them. 

“Sorry,” Koutarou apologized, smiling sheepishly. 

Keiji smiled softly. “I have something that I need to talk to you two about,” he said. 

The two of them exchanged a look and each of them raised a brow when they looked back at Keiji. 

“What is it?” Tetsurou wondered. 

Keiji dipped his head towards Hajime. “Thank you for listening to me. You may return to your duties.” 

“As you wish, my prince.” He dipped his head. 

“Hajime…” 

“Sorry. _Keiji_ ,” he corrected himself before bowing and heading out of the room. 

Tetsurou wiggled his fingers after Hajime as he left, earning a small glare from the guard as he passed by him and Koutarou. Tetsurou smirked to himself once Hajime had disappeared and turned to face Keiji again. 

He was simply radiant, and Tetsurou felt guilty for thinking so. He hadn’t admitted to either of them about his feelings. He wasn’t even sure if these were even feelings that he was _supposed_ to be feeling. 

Did he have a crush on them? Did he like them both as _just_ friends or as friends _and_ boyfriends? Were these romantic feelings or platonic feelings? Tetsurou didn’t know. Tetsurou couldn’t tell. He’d never had friends before, but one thing was certain. He loved them. He loved them so much, and he _wasn’t_ going to feel guilty for that. 

He was just so unbelievably confused, and he kept flip-flopping over what these feelings meant. 

For now, he’d been keeping them hidden and hadn’t acted upon them. He had to. Koutarou and Keiji were in love with each other. He felt selfish for thinking that he could possibly be in love with the both of them. They only saw him as their best friend, and he was fine with being _just_ their best friend as long as they were both happy. 

“What is it that you wanted to talk about?” Tetsurou asked after his thoughts had settled down. 

Keiji looked at the both of them. He held his hand out to Koutarou, and Koutarou took it. Keiji gave him a certain look that made Koutarou beam and stand beside him so that they were both facing Tetsurou now. 

Tetsurou looked at them oddly. “Wha…t?” 

“Tetsurou, Koutarou and I have been talking, and we don’t want to frighten you or anything…” 

“But we wanted to know how you feel about us,” Koutarou finished. 

Blinking back at them in confusion, Tetsurou rubbed the back of his neck. “What kind of question is that?” he mumbled. 

“Well, me and Keiji—” 

“‘Keiji and I’, Koutarou,” Keiji corrected him casually. 

“Um…” He thought for a second. “Oh! Yeah. Keiji and I have been talking about something for awhile now. Before you came along, Keiji and I had only each other. We fell in love”—he smiled warmly at Keiji—“and you kinda figured that out quickly.” 

“It was pretty obvious.” Tetsurou smirked. 

Koutarou nodded. “We thought that that was it. We thought that we were soulmates and belonged with only each other forever.” 

“I believe it,” Tetsurou said, running his hand across his unkempt hair. 

“Let me, Koutarou,” Keiji interrupted, patting Koutarou’s chest and walking up to stand directly in front of Tetsurou. The gleam in his eyes lit up his face, and Tetsurou held his breath. “Tetsurou, people are allowed to love more than one person in their lifetime, right?” 

Tetsurou let his arms hang at his sides as he looked down at Keiji’s face. He started to nod slowly. “I guess. People find love after their spouses have died, so it’s possible.” 

Koutarou stood beside Keiji and smiled at Tetsurou. “Do you think that it’s possible to love two people at the same time?” 

Tetsurou pressed his lips together. He looked back at his two best friends and saw a certain look in their eyes. They looked a little apprehensive, but they were giving him gentle smiles and talking to him slowly as to not scare him off with their strange questions. 

People always said that you couldn’t love two people at the same time because it was wrong. Tetsurou never knew if it was or not because he’d never been in love. He’d never been put into that kind of situation before. But these questions had him thinking again. He finally knew his answer. 

He was in love with two people at the same time. 

He didn’t feel like it was wrong. He wasn’t infringing on anything. He wasn’t trying to sabotage their relationship, and if they felt the same way, then it’d be a mutual understanding. Every party would know about each other, and it wouldn’t be cheating at all. It would be a healthy three-person relationship. 

Tetsurou never knew that this could be possible, but he held his breath as he nodded, answering Koutarou’s question. 

His friend seemed to perk up, and his smile broadened. He held his hands together and rocked back and forth on his heels and toes with undeniable angst gnawing at his insides. 

“Koutarou and I…” Keiji continued slowly, “love you, Tetsurou. We love you just as much as we love each other, and we don’t want you to feel obligated to feel the same way, but—” 

“I love you, too,” Tetsurou interrupted him. 

They both looked straight back at him and widened their eyes. 

He smiled gingerly at them. “I just never said anything because I was confused and didn’t want to get in the way.” 

“You won’t be in the way, Kuroo!” Koutarou assured him. “We’d never leave you out of anything.” 

“You never do.” Tetsurou laughed. 

“We like being with you,” Keiji added a bit shyly as he started to fiddle with his fingers again. The habit was something that Tetsurou had picked up on, but if it helped Keiji calm his nerves, there was no harm in letting him fiddle with his fingers at all. 

Koutarou nearly knocked Tetsurou over as he crashed his large body into his. He hugged him and pulled his head up to look back at Tetsurou. “Will you be our boyfriend?” 

“Let me think about it…” 

Koutarou’s hair began to deflate. 

Tetsurou ruffled his hair. “I’m kidding. Of course!” 

Koutarou scoffed. “Don’t do that!” 

Tetsurou smirked back at him and then looked at Keiji. He softened his eyes and grinned at the beautiful prince. Keiji hugged Tetsurou, making him feel all toasty inside. He felt cared for and loved. All his confusion had vanquished, and he understood now that it wasn’t selfish to love two people at the same time. It wasn’t wrong to be in a relationship with two people at the same time. It wasn’t weird or strange or odd. 

This was just a different kind of love, and Tetsurou was glad to be a part of it. 

His eyes widened when he felt two pairs of lips kiss both sides of his face. Koutarou’s was sloppy and wet on his left cheek, while Keiji’s was delicate and soothing on his right cheek. Either way, he loved both and blushed so hard that he had to cover up his face from the embarrassment. 

He heard his boyfriends laugh at him, which only made him blush even more. 

“Damn it, guys…” 

“You’ll have to get used to that,” Koutarou told him, smirking. 

Tetsurou looked at him and started to grin. 


	10. Chapter Nine

“Bo, tell me something,” Tetsurou said as he and Koutarou were on their way into town. Koutarou was carrying Tetsurou’s satchel across his chest, holding onto the pouch protectively so that none of Tetsurou’s money would seep out of it. 

“What?” he asked, looking at him. 

“Didn’t you say that you were going to ask Keiji to marry you? Why’d you say that if you guys were going to ask me to be your boyfriend?” 

Koutarou stopped and waited for Tetsurou to halt and look back at him to say, “I said that I _wanted_ to marry Keiji.” He pulled the satchel’s strap around his body and head. “I was only going to _look_ at some rings today. I’m not ready to ask Keiji yet.” 

Tetsurou cocked his brow and put his hands on his hips. “Why not?” 

“Shouldn’t we all get married _together_?” 

Tetsurou stood up straight and blinked twice. He shook his head quickly and snorted. “Come on, Bo. You can marry Keiji. I’ll still be in this relationship anyway.” 

“But I want to marry both of yooouuu!” Koutarou whined. 

Tetsurou was beginning to turn red. He wasn’t used to being so well-liked. He walked up to Koutarou and placed his hands onto his shoulders and made him look back at him. “Do what you think is best. You can marry Keiji now or later. We can always add me in later on.” He ruffled his hair. 

“I wouldn’t feel right,” Koutarou admitted, rubbing his hair back into place. 

Tetsurou smiled fondly back at him. “Then, we’ll wait.” 

Koutarou grinned back at him. “You wouldn’t mind marrying us?” 

“Like I said earlier, I love you both.” 

“Kuroo, you’re such a softy.” 

“I resent that.” 

“It’s true!” 

“Okay, okay! Let’s get to the bookstore before it closes.” He grabbed Koutarou’s wrist and whisked him away as they started to run to get to the store before it closed for the night. It was already dark, and Tetsurou wanted to get out of it as quickly as possible. 

* * *

Hajime grimly saluted Tetsurou as he headed towards the gate that he was guarding. It was one of the few downsides to being a royal guard. Hajime highly disliked having to be so formal towards Tetsurou, and Tetsurou had to admit that he disliked it, too. 

“Evening, Kuroo,” Hajime greeted him glumly. 

“You don’t look so good,” Tetsurou commented. “Someone getting on your nerves lately?” 

“Only two people.” Hajime smiled at him with a glare. 

“Geez, I hope I’m one of them.” 

Hajime grit his teeth, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to tell Tetsurou that that was true because he was one of the prince’s boyfriends. 

“C’mon, Iwaizumi,” Tetsurou said. “I really hate how prim and proper you have to be around me.” He frowned and let his arms dangle in defeat. “I’m not the royal family. Just say something. Banter. I miss it.” 

Hajime sighed. “If the royal family catches me bantering, I might get demoted again.” 

“I promise, I’ll take the blame if that happens,” Tetsurou told him with one hand up and the other over his heart. 

“What do you want?” Hajime asked, ignoring his promise. 

“Oh, I came to see how Kyoutani and Terushima have been doing.” 

“They’re doing better. Having Nekomata-sensei whip some of these criminals into shape was a pretty decent idea.” 

Tetsurou grinned. “Thanks.” 

“Don’t get used to praises,” Hajime warned him. 

“Is that a hint of banter?” 

“Please leave me to my duties.” 

“You’re guarding a gate. That must be really exciting for you.” 

“It is! So, leave me to my duties!” 

Tetsurou rolled his eyes and then clicked his teeth while shooting Hajime a finger gun before leaving. He bumped into Tooru from not watching where he was going. 

“Oomf!” Tooru stumbled back to stand. He saluted Tetsurou when he got his composure back. 

“Oikawa, please. I’m not—” 

“Oikawa, where have you been?!” Hajime snapped. 

“Excuse me,” Tooru said to Tetsurou. “I’m needed by my captain.” 

“It’s just Iwaizumi!” Tetsurou called after him. 

He shrugged to himself and continued to walk. It’d been a few months since being with Keiji and Koutarou, and Tetsurou was feeling a lot better about himself. He’d achieved at getting something by working hard to get it instead of stealing it. He was finally living in a castle. It wasn’t exactly _his_ , but he wasn’t complaining. And he’d been reading all of his Kurosawa Tetsudou books. Life was pretty good. 

As he neared the castle doors, he could hear Koutarou’s panting as he rushed through them and ran up to him. Tetsurou waited for him to catch his breath before asking him what was up. 

“I…” He took another gulp of air. “Damn… That was a long run…” 

“Bo, what the hell is going on?” Tetsurou asked again. 

“Keiji and I have a surprise for you!” 

“A surprise?” Tetsurou was taken aback. He allowed Koutarou to lead him through the castle and to their bedroom. He could already smell the scent of peppermint as he neared their room, knowing that Keiji kept the room smelling nice all the time. 

Koutarou stopped him right at the door and said, “Cover your eyes!” 

“Cover my—” 

“Just do it! It’s a surprise.” 

“Fine,” Tetsurou said, covering his eyes. Koutarou led him into the bedroom. He then nudged Tetsurou to remove his hands from his vision. When Tetsurou did, he gaped back at the lantern that was resting in the palms of Keiji’s hands. 

Tetsurou walked toward Keiji slowly and gently took the lantern in his own hands. The design was beautiful—a simple owl design, like all of the other lanterns. It was red and had swirls and a name inscribed on it. 

“M-my mother’s name?” he said in astonishment. 

“You told us her name, and since it’s almost been a year since then, I thought that you should have a lantern, too,” Keiji said. 

“You guys are still doing the lantern thing?” Tetsurou asked. 

“It’s more for the people now,” Keiji told him. “You said that the lanterns represented spirits, and you said that you never really got into the celebrations as a kid, but I think you should this year.” 

Tetsurou looked back at his owl lantern. It was a comforting thing that the king and queen had chosen owls to represent Keiji’s birthday. Owls were wise and represented protection. Over the years, having the lanterns represent the dead was amazing since owls were also represented as protecting the dead. 

Owls were the perfect animal to use for the celebration, and Tetsurou found himself tearing up at such a heartfelt gesture. He had been so lonely and lost as a child that he never really got to say goodbye to his mother. 

“Thank you, guys…” he choked out. 

Koutarou and Keiji smiled at him. 

“The celebration is tomorrow,” Koutarou said. “We’ll come with you to the lake.” 

“I’d like that.” 

* * *

Tetsurou placed a kiss onto Keiji’s lips and handed him a rampion bellflower. Keiji laughed lightly as Tetsurou handed him the light-colored flower. 

“What’s this?” 

“Happy birthday,” Tetsurou told him. 

“You got me a flower for my birthday?” 

Tetsurou looked suddenly nervous. 

“No, no,” Keiji said, patting his arm. “Don’t look like that. It’s beautiful. Thank you.” 

“Thank God.” He sighed and smiled with relief as Keiji smirked lightly. “Oh, and your mother wanted me to tell you that we’re having a big dinner tonight.” 

“Are we having rapunzel with our meal?” 

“Rapunzel?” 

“Corn salad.” 

“Oh, yeah. Don’t worry. You’re getting your favorite.” They began to walk beside each other towards the dining room. “Rapunzel’s such a weird name though.” 

“I think it’s lovely.” 

Tetsurou smiled warmly to himself. One of the things that he loved about Keiji was that he found the good in everything. Being locked away in a tower for eighteen years would’ve made Tetsurou weary of others and hard to trust people, but Keiji was different. Tetsurou figured that reading all those books back at the tower helped Keiji to understand simpler things that he could find the good in. 

“As are you, my prince,” Tetsurou teased, grabbing Keiji by the hand and kissing it. 

“Stop that,” Keiji warned playfully. 

Tetsurou laughed and opened the door to the dining room. “After you,” he said, bowing to Keiji. 

“Tetsurou…” Keiji flicked his forehead as he walked by him. 

“Hey! Keiji! Happy birthday!” Koutarou announced from the table. He was dressed in his best clothes and was setting some of the food out on the table to help the staff. 

“Thank you, Koutarou.” Keiji looked down at his flower and showed Koutarou it as he met him at the dining table. “Look at what Tetsurou got for me.” 

Koutarou admired it with a sparkle in his eyes. “It’s so pretty… Purple suits you well.” He smiled at his boyfriend, who blushed in turn. “I got you something, too! But I want to wait until tonight. Is that okay?” 

“Of course,” Keiji said. 

Tetsurou bit his lip as he smiled. He knew exactly what the present was, and he and Koutarou had been planning it for weeks now. Tetsurou thought that it was time, and Koutarou had been bubbling over from wanting to do this for the longest. 

_I hope everything goes well,_ he thought. 

* * *

Tetsurou and Koutarou groaned once they exited through the castle doors. Keiji was walking in-between them and looked rather annoyed with them whining over how full they were. 

“Don’t complain,” he told them. “You’re the ones who ate too much.” 

“Have sympathy,” Tetsurou said. 

“I can’t always have sympathy for you two,” he replied. 

Tetsurou leaned against him. “I’m surprised you even put up with us.” 

“Me, too.” 

Tetsurou blinked. “You can be really sassy sometimes.” 

Keiji smirked to himself. He held Tetsurou’s lantern in his hands and handed it over to his boyfriend to stop him from complaining about how full his stomach was. 

Tetsurou smiled as he held the lantern. He knelt down at the water’s edge once they arrived and waited until it was time. He said a quick and silent prayer out to his deceased mother and set the lantern onto the surface of the water. He pushed it out gently and let the currents take the representation of his mother’s spirit out into the middle of the lake. 

He felt a pair of arms wrap around his own as Keiji knelt down beside him. Koutarou came down on his other side and rested his hand against his shoulder. 

The three of them smiled as they watched Tetsurou’s lantern drift away and meet with the other lanterns out in the middle of the lake. 

“She would be very proud of you, Tetsurou,” Keiji said, resting his head against his shoulder. “I know she would be.” 

“Thanks, Keiji,” Tetsurou said. He grinned to himself and sucked in a breath. “I feel like she would be, too.” 

Koutarou leaned closer to Tetsurou’s ear. “Now?” 

Tetsurou looked at him, and Koutarou smiled sheepishly. That’s when Tetsurou nodded, and Koutarou stood up. 

“Keiji, would you like your present now?” he asked. 

Keiji blinked up at him. Tetsurou helped Keiji to stand, and they both looked back at Koutarou. Tetsurou knew what was coming. His face was glowing, and he patted Keiji’s hand before going over to stand beside Koutarou. 

“Go ahead, Bo,” Tetsurou informed him. 

Koutarou cleared his throat and knelt down on his knee in front of Keiji. 

“Keiji, I love you. Ever since I met you, I’ve always had this feeling that you were special and that we should always be together. I’m glad that you let me into your tower. I’m glad that you became my friend. I’m ecstatic that you love me and that you became my boyfriend. We’ve been through a lot together, and I’ve always dreamed of asking someone this question, and I’m really glad that I get to ask you, so…”—Koutarou pulled out a ring from his pocket and showed it to Keiji—“will you marry me?” 

There was a moment of silence as Keiji stared at the ring. His eyes expanded, and his mouth hung open only slightly. He put his hand up to his chest to make sure that he was still breathing, and he looked up from Koutarou and the ring to look over at Tetsurou. 

Smiling, Tetsurou pulled out a band. There was no crystalline stone protruding from it like the one before Keiji. It was silver and shiny, and Keiji noticed three small diamonds lined up on the front of it. 

Keiji watched Tetsurou put it on his finger, and his boyfriend nodded towards him and asked, “And me?” 

“Whaddaya say?” Koutarou asked him. 

Keiji looked back down at Koutarou. “To the both of you?” he asked. 

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Koutarou said. 

“Yes,” Keiji replied. He smiled as Koutarou placed the ring onto his finger. “This definitely tops last year.” He admired his ring, and Tetsurou came over and handed Koutarou a silver band just like his own, except Koutarou’s had small diamonds running all along it instead of just three simple ones. Both of their bands matched Keiji’s ring, and Keiji lowered his eyelids to give them both a gentle smile, watching as Koutarou placed his own ring onto his finger. 

Tetsurou put his arm around Keiji’s shoulders and said, “Last year was kind of wild, wasn’t it?” 

“Very,” Keiji said. 

Koutarou attacked the two of them with a hug and a kiss on each of their lips before throwing his hands up into the air and declaring, “Let’s go home and start planning the wedding!” 

Tetsurou laughed loudly and held Keiji’s hand as they followed Koutarou away from the lake and back up to the castle. 


	11. Chapter Ten

_I can’t believe this. I just_ can’t _believe this._

Tetsurou stared up at the tapestry hanging from between the two small buildings. Keiji and Koutarou’s likeliness was marvelous, which only made Tetsurou even more annoyed with how wrong they’d gotten his hair for the tapestry. 

“Are you _serious_?” he growled beneath his breath. “They _still_ can’t get my hair right?” 

He felt a familiar presence beside him as his favorite guard came up and admired the tapestry. With a gentle smirk, Hajime said, “You look better that way.” 

“Please, Iwaizumi,” Tetsurou said, turning to face him, “now is not the time. I am genuinely hurt by this.” 

“Uh-huh. Sure.” 

“What do you need, Iwaizumi?” Tetsurou said quickly. “Am I needed for something?” 

“You’re needed all day. It’s _your_ wedding day.” 

“Get to the point.” 

Hajime cleared his throat. “Everything is set up. You and Bokuto are needed at the alter. And great choice having Prince Keiji walk in instead of you two. We can all look at him instead of you two buffoons.” 

Tetsurou patted his shoulder. “Glad to have the banter back,” he teased. “Thanks a lot.” He dashed off and hurried to the alter to stand beside one of his fiancés. He smiled at Koutarou as he came up to him. 

“There you are!” Koutarou beamed at him. “I haven’t seen you all day.” 

“It’s bad luck, remember?” Tetsurou kidded. 

“I can’t wait to see Keiji. It’s been so weird having not seen you two all day.” Koutarou began to play with his tie, and Tetsurou moved his hand away. “Sorry. I’m so nervous.” 

“So am I, but it’ll be fine. Everything will go by smoothly.” 

The two of them stood up straight as the music began to play. Tetsurou could see all of their friends out in the pews. Even Koutarou’s family had travelled from his hometown to attend the wedding. Tetsurou admired how close they were. Koutarou sent them letters every week. 

He saw the castle’s staff and lots of other royal figures that had travelled here to attend the prince’s wedding. 

He saw Shouyou sitting right on the front row. He smiled as he watched Natsu throwing flowers down the aisle in front of Yuuji, who was the ring bearer. He’d been coming along nicely in rehabilitation. Tetsurou was no longer guarded around him like before. 

Kentarou didn’t smile as he threw flowers behind his former partner in crime. It was an odd combination to walk down the middle of the aisle, but it was a peaceful sight to Tetsurou. He was glad that his two former partners were doing better. That’s why he invited them to be a part of their wedding. 

As the three of them made it to the end of the aisle, Natsu waved at Koutarou and Tetsurou. They both smiled and waved back at her as she joined Kentarou and Yuuji at the side of the alter. She smiled proudly in her pink and yellow dress that matched the two towering guys on each side of her. She was certainly the star of the group. Tetsurou approved of that. 

Suddenly, the music grew louder. Tetsurou’s eyes widened when he saw Keiji enter the room dressed in all white. Gold trimmings decorated his princely suit, and he’d insisted on wearing a veil. It was more to cover up his embarrassment from being in front of so many people. He could still be shy in that way. His father and mother—the king and queen—each held onto one of his arms as they marched their only son down the aisle. 

“Wow,” Koutarou breathed. 

“Wow,” Tetsurou added. 

“Wooow,” Tooru said as he stood at Koutarou’s side with Hajime. 

Hajime nudged him and rolled his eyes. 

Keiji stood between Koutarou and Tetsurou as he made it to the alter. The queen motioned for Natsu to come and sit with her, her husband, and Shouyou on the front row. She left her spot between Kentarou and Yuuji and joined the king and queen who watched with pride in their eyes as their first and only child was being married off to the two men that had helped bring him back to them over a year ago. 

Koutarou and Tetsurou both pulled Keiji’s veil over his head. Keiji was pink in the face, and Koutarou looked back at him in surprise. He was even more beautiful that he’d ever imagined he could be on their wedding day. 

Tetsurou knew exactly what Koutarou was thinking by that look and silently agreed that Keiji was breathtaking. 

The three of them faced the priest, and Tetsurou felt the undeniable feeling of happiness well up in the pit of his stomach. He was so happy. He was happy to be standing here with Keiji and Koutarou. He was happy to not be a thief anymore. He was happy that he was making a better life for himself. 

He was so thankful for these two for helping him do that. 

He smiled brightly when it came time to say their vows. He turned to them when it was his turn and told them how much they meant to him and how lucky he was to have met them. He held his hands out to them, and they each took one of his hands in their own as he continued to be the biggest, gushiest mess as he spilled his feelings out to them. 

“I love you two so much, and I always will,” he finished, smiling at them both with love in his eyes. 

They smiled back at him. 

“I love you, too,” Keiji said first. 

“I love you, Tetsurou,” Koutarou added. 

Tetsurou took a deep breath and faced the priest, feeling like he’d—at last—found where he belonged. He found his true home with people that loved and cared for him. He found where he was wanted and where he was needed. 

_And at last I see the light,_ he told himself proudly when he felt the sun beaming down on his back from the windows of the church. The warmth made him feel secure, and he could see no darkness in his future as he stood beside Keiji and Koutarou, silently reminding himself that he _would_ love them forever. They were the lights of his life, and he was fortunate to have them light up the dark world around him for the years to come. 


	12. Epilogue: Yuuji and Kentarou’s Wild Adventure

Kentarou held his small basket of flowers close to his chest. He watched as the priest spoke to the audience in a calming and soothing way as the prince and his two fiancés stood before him. He never knew he’d be so invested in such a ridiculous thing, but Kentarou found himself entranced with the decorations and the occasion. 

He was alarmed when Yuuji sneezed at his side. 

He glanced over to notice that one of his flowers had drifted too close to Yuuji’s nose and had created a reaction in him. He was even more alarmed when he watched the three wedding rings hit the floor and roll out through the door behind them. 

Yuuji met his gaze and widened his eyes. The mere thought of having the priest ask him for the rings and not have them made Yuuji imagine the queen’s accusing point and voice as she shouted that two of those rings belonged to her grandmother as the celebration halted with screams and cries from the people. The last thing Yuuji imagined was the castle exploding and flames gulping down everything. 

They both froze when Tetsurou glanced their way. Yuuji smiled and held the pillow up straight like nothing was wrong as Kentarou gave him a thumbs up with his usual grumpy expression placed across his face. 

They waited until Tetsurou nodded and looked away from them to step back slowly to the point that no one would realize that they were gone as they ran out the door. 

Kentarou dropped his flower basket as Yuuji threw the pillow behind him in the hallway. They spotted the rings making a break for it and followed them out of the building. Yuuji grabbed the slower ring and smiled as he slipped it into his pocket. But his face fell when he and Kentarou met the edge of a drop-off where the other two rings plummeted over it. 

They exchanged a bewildered glance and then dove over the small drop. 

Yuuji’s slip-on shoes flew off from his feet and disappeared in another direction once he got to the bottom of the drop. He didn’t care and ran in the opposite direction of Kentarou. 

Kentarou hurried to the outdoor eating area for the reception. People were placing things out onto the table, so he tried to act casual as he followed the ring to a large bowl of soup that it’d bounced into. 

Without thinking, he stuck his hand into the soup and was able to locate the ring easily. But his eyes widened when a woman turned around to find that his hand had tainted the soup, and she yelped in surprise. 

He gave her a quick grin before pulling out the ring and running off, only to bump into one of the servers. 

The commotion alarmed another server, and he grabbed a knife and threw it towards Kentarou, assuming that he was a criminal embarking on the free food that was only for the guests of the wedding. 

As Kentarou dodged the knife, the ring flew from his grasp, and his eyes widened as he took to chasing it again. He slid across a table, reaching out his hand to grab the ring, but he slid too close to the ice sculpture that had been placed there, and his lips slid right into it, freezing him to the sculpture. 

_Great…_ he thought. 

* * *

Yuuji’s feet hit the pavement as he ran after the ring. He rushed past a cart full of pink dresses and fake pearl necklaces and was stopped by a woman asking if he’d like to purchase a set. She looked desperate, so Yuuji bit his lip as he stared out after the ring. He pulled out his stud from his ear and handed it to her. 

“It’s worth lots,” he promised her, taking a dress in his hand and quickly pulling the necklace on over his head. 

She called out a thank you as he rushed off again, only to be stopped by another merchant who was selling shoes. 

“How ‘bout some nice flats to go with that dress?” he said. 

Yuuji didn’t have time to argue, and the man looked just as desperate as the woman had, so he unhooked his tongue ring and dried it off. 

“It’s real silver. It’s worth some money,” he assured him, taking the shoes and running off again. 

He kept his eyes on the ring as he slipped the dress on over his clothes so he wouldn’t have to hold it anymore and placed the flats on his bare feet before rushing by a bakery that flew up flour everywhere and caked his face with it. 

He sneezed and backed up into a hat stand. A little girl handed him a hat and grinned. “The sun’ll melt you. Take this for free,” she insisted. 

“Thanks.” Yuuji patted her head and put the large sunhat on over his head to shield him from the sun. He darted his eyes around until he saw the sun hit something rolling across the ground. He followed it and hit the ground as it rolled underneath a cart. He reached underneath to retrieve it, but it rolled back too far to get. He attempted to pick up the cart, but a man frowned at him disapprovingly as he passed by, and he gave off a cheesy grin as he tipped the brim of his hat after he stood up. 

* * *

Kentarou pulled his lips away from the ice sculpture quickly and flew back to hit a waiter at the end of the table. The ring flew from Kentarou’s grasp, and the weight of him and the waiter sent the ice sculpture soaring through the air, much to Kentarou’s horror. 

* * *

Yuuji waited until the man walked away to get back on the ground. He reached as far as he could and finally edged the ring into his hand. He stood up with victory set in his mind and smiled to himself. 

He stumbled back onto the bottom of the long dress and sat against the handles of a wheelbarrow that was behind him just as the ice sculpture came flying into the cart part and sent Yuuji up into the air. 

He screamed out as he flew past the church. The wind watered his eyes, and he felt relieved when he was saved by landing in a small carriage. The seat was soft, and he sighed, but his eyes expanded when the ring slipped from his hand and rolled away again. 

_Shit!_

He began to make the carriage roll after the ring in desperation, thinking the carriage going down the hill would be much faster them him tumbling and falling down it instead. 

* * *

Kentarou panted as he ran after the ring. He stopped beside a little girl whose shapely balloon was knocked from her hand as the ring latched onto a string protruding from it. She looked rather annoyed, but Kentarou didn’t have time to say that that sucked for her. 

He began running after the ring again, following the floating balloon down the street. 

He turned the corner, and his entire world fell to pieces. The balloon had joined hundreds of other complicatedly-styled balloons that were being contained in the air by a large net that had people all around it making sure that none of the balloons got lose until it was time. 

Kentarou ran his hands down his face in aggravation. 

* * *

Yuuji reached over the side of the carriage and picked up the ring. He steadied the carriage back on all four wheels and smiled at the ring. 

“Frying pans! Get your frying pans here!” 

“Frying pa—” 

The carriage put Yuuji right in the line of fire as many merchants had frying pans stuck out in their hands for display. He hit every single one of them as the carriage pulled him through the line of frying pans. 

He hit the biggest frying pan of all—a large frying pan-shaped signed for the frying pan warehouse—at the end of the line, giving him a splitting headache. 

* * *

Kentarou got entangled within the frock of balloons as he searched through them for the ring. He overheard a large bang and somebody shouting that that was the signal and to release the doves. 

He ignored them, but his eyes widened when he heard somebody say that the doves had been released and to release the balloons. 

His arms got caught in some of the strings as he tried to hurry out from the middle of the mess. He yelped when the thick strings to these very amazing balloons pulled him into the sky. He held onto the strings and gasped when he saw the ring. He snatched it from the balloon but experienced vertigo when he looked down at the world below. 

* * *

Dizzy and with his head buzzing from all of the frying pans smacking him right in the head, Yuuji lazily smiled back at the ring in his hand. He’d found it and had it. Everything was good. 

Or… at least he thought everything was. 

His eyes widened when he saw a cliff at the end of the street. He didn’t have time to react as the carriage hit the barrier and sent him flying through the air again. 

He passed by Kentarou, who was trapped in some strings to some balloons, and he lifted his brow at him as he passed by. 

Yuuji descended and was flung into the tapestry between two small buildings. He clung to the rope that was extended between them and wondered if this was worth it. 

* * *

Kentarou’s mind whirled as a flock of doves came gusting past him, spinning him through the air and making him lose his grip on the ring. He watched it fall through the sky, hit a novelty compass atop of somebody’s home, crash through the top of a fountain and be spat out through a stone fish’s head from that very same fountain, and hit a flexible banner’s rope that flung it to hit a hook that was holding a stack of barrels full of wine up before landing on the foot of one of the doves that was flying through the air. 

The hook slipped from its hold, and the barrels came crashing down onto numerous other barrels below, sending a ton of wine flowing through the street. 

Kentarou stared below in disbelief. 

* * *

Yuuji slid down the tapestry, splitting it right down the middle as he hit the ground below. He bounced on top of a canopy that was giving shade to some flowers on a cart beneath him. He bounced off and smacked down onto his stomach on the ground, groaning from the pain. 

But he ignored the pain as he pulled his arm around to look at the ring that he still had within his hand. He smiled, which only lasted a second as a flood of wine came roaring towards him. 

_Oh… Fuck._

* * *

Kentarou had wriggled enough to free himself from some of the balloons. His weight drifted him down to the street, and he sighed from relief when his feet landed onto the pavement. He let the balloons go and held his head. 

He stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the sound of something behind him, and he glanced around to see the wine come flooding towards him with Yuuji racing in front of the flood to catch up to him. He grabbed Kentarou by the arm and whisked him away from the wine at full speed. 

“Why are you wearing a dress and all of that?!” Kentarou questioned him. 

“I lost my shoes, I ran into some flour dust, a little girl gave me this hat to shield me from the sun, and a lady traded me for this dress and necklace!” 

“Why?!” 

“She looked desperate! I bought these, so I’m going to fucking wear them!” 

Kentarou looked back at the wine and then glanced up when the sun caught onto something, blinding him from the ground. He noticed the ring on the foot of one of the doves. 

Yuuji followed his gaze but kept them going. 

A chef yelled as he saw the flood. He ran into his shop as he left his burning food out on his outside stoves that were placed against a protective wall at the end of the street. 

Determined, Yuuji knit his eyebrows together and told Kentarou to jump. When they both did, they grabbed a rope and flew over the fire and wall, letting the wine miss them. 

With the flexible rope giving them momentum, Kentarou released his arm from Yuuji’s and flew through the air. He slipped the ring off of the dove’s foot, and he and Yuuji smiled as they held onto the rings. Their happy moment was short-lived as they crashed through the roof of a tar factory. 

Kentarou and Yuuji slowly stood up from the large pit of black and inky tar. They looked down at one another and then looked at each other. 

“Things could be worse,” Yuuji commented sarcastically. 

They both got out of the tar and walked past the tar factory employees who watched them with bewildered eyes. They exited the building and made their ways back to the church. Yuuji picked up his pillow in the hallway and took out the other ring from his pocket. Kentarou handed him the second ring, and Yuuji placed all three of the rings back onto the pillow, walking back to the wedding. 

“May I have the rings?” the priest said as he and the three almost newlyweds looked towards the two of them. 

They were filthy and covered in tar. Kentarou looked exhausted, and Yuuji’s outfit was a disaster. Sticky tar stuck to their hair and skin and cloths, and the sight of them made Keiji gasp. 

Kentarou showcased the rings, and Yuuji walked up to them slowly with the pillow in his hands. His eyes were wide, and he looked just about done with everything, but he stuck out the pillow to them and smiled. 

Tetsurou lifted his brow at him and quickly took the rings from the pillow. 

“I…” The priest blinked to himself and shook his head. “I now pronounce the three of you as married. You may kiss.” 

The audience clapped and cried and brought about good cheer as Koutarou and Keiji both kissed Tetsurou before kissing each other. 

Yuuji and Kentarou settled away from the crowd to relax after their small adventure in retrieving the rings. Yuuji leaned against a table behind him and sighed from relief. He blinked when he stumbled backwards. 

He and Kentarou turned around to watch the wedding cake roll away on a portable table, leaving out through the same door that had taken the rings away from them. 

“Alright, so, who wants some cake now?!” Koutarou called out to the crowd. 

Yuuji and Kentarou looked at one another in horror. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading my very first Disney au for the HQ!! characters! I decided to go ahead and upload all of these chapters at once. Feel free to give me some suggestions for my upcoming installments, and I appreciate all of you reading this! ^.^


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